


A Raven's Heart

by ReignOfRats



Category: Ghost (Sweden Band)
Genre: Dorks in Love, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fairy Tale Elements, Magic, Shapeshifting, Slow Burn, Spirit Animals, Transformation, Witches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-16
Updated: 2019-09-26
Packaged: 2020-10-19 13:56:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 24,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20658359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReignOfRats/pseuds/ReignOfRats
Summary: Morgana. A name. Her name. One of her only memories. The raven sat, watching people. She knew she was no raven, but a witch. Trapped in the body of her spirit animal for centuries. She needed to find help to turn her back to normal, and to maybe get more of her memories back.A chance meeting with a strange man in skull face paint lead her to believe that his church could help. Would they be able to turn her back into a human? Would she regain her memories? Papa Emeritus the Third thinks so.This is for the Ghost BC Big Bang 2019.





	1. A chance meeting

**Author's Note:**

> This took a while to write and I hope you enjoy my first story (that's not random drabbles haha)!!  
Thank you to all that let me bounce ideas off them. I appreciate it greatly!  
Thank you for any comments and kudos!

A raven sat in a tree in Central Park, watching people come and go. It tilted its head and squawked, in a sigh like manner. “Another day, more people to watch…” Her name was Morgana and she was no raven, but a human; a magician who used her art and spells to help people, as she specialized in healing magics. But being currently stuck in the form of her spirit animal for the past hundred years, her knowledge of spells, as well as a large chunk of her past were lost to her, all except her name and a few memories.

Today seemed to be another typical day for Morgana: she sat in her favorite tree and watched the many interesting people that came through the park, something she enjoyed doing, even if it did fill her heart with some sadness, knowing she was as she was. Shaking her head of the thoughts, she adjusted herself on her perch and looked out to the horizon. “ _ It must be mid afternoon,”  _ she guessed, “ _ a good time for lunch _ .” Spotting a box of discarded French fries on the ground, she went to swoop down when something stopped her and made her almost fall out of the tree.

_ “What is this feeling? It…feels much different to the normal people’s energy, yet…it’s familiar?”  _ Morgana thought to herself, looking around. She did not see anything out of the ordinary, yet the feeling remained.  _ “Should I investigate this?” _ She decided to forget about lunch and took off from the tree in confusion, flying in the direction she thought the energy was emanating from to try and find its source.

Soon, Central Park was behind her as she flew on towards the crowded streets of New York. The strange energy was growing stronger the closer she seemed to get.

“What is this? And where?” No sooner did she have these thoughts, it hit her in the face and she almost fell out of the sky from the sensation. Looking around, she knew she was in the correct area when she spotted something curious: It was a large bus, parked behind a building. She saw many buses in her years in the city, but her instincts told her to go check this one out. Swooping down, she landed softly on the roof of said bus and looked around.

“Yes, the energy is very strong here. I wonder what is causing it?” Morgana decided to just sit there for a bit and watch the people around the bus. They seemed to be working on getting what looked like electrical equipment and instruments out of a truck. “Oh, this must be some sort of musical act.” She sighed, wishing she could partake in the festivities. She heard many people talk about it while she watched them and it sounded interesting. The whole concept of modern bands using electrical instruments still being new to her like many other things from the city. She felt the bus vibrate; somebody must have opened the door. “Good, maybe this energy is from one of these people... Or is it inside the bus? I do not think it comes from the equipment...” She mumbled, her words unheard by people, as they came out as simple cawing. Or so she thought. Six people emerged from the bus and Morgana watched these curious looking people from her perch. One of them was a man and he had skull paint on his face, and the other five wore identical outfits and silver masks with horns. Morgana had no idea who they were, but was curious. They were in fact from a church and were the band Ghost ; they were performing a ritual that evening and the man in the skull paint was Papa Emeritus the Third, leader of the church and vocalist for the band. Papa glanced at all the people carrying the equipment inside before taking off in the general direction of the building. The ghouls stood at the bus talking amongst themselves.

“T-these people… who are they? The energy feelings are resonating with them…” Morgana spoke softly. One of the ghouls got startled and looked around.

“Did any of you hear that? A woman’s voice?” He asked his bandmates. One of the others nodded. 

“I did, but there ain’t no female around here.” he replied with a shrug of his shoulders.

Morgana tilted her head, not taking her eyes off them.  _ “Did...did they actually hear me?” _ she thought to herself before deciding to say something to see if they reacted.

“H-hey! You strange looking people!” She called down to the ghouls. All five of them jumped and looked around in confusion. The big one who heard her the first time spoke up, “Hey now, stop playing games and show yourself!” The others agreed with him, but none of them thought to look up. Morgana mentally smirked. This was an interesting development.

“Omega, where is the voice coming from?” One of the other ghouls asked the one who spoke first. The one they called Omega replied with a shrug. 

“Hey, up here. “ She called out to them. All five heads turned and looked up at her with wide eyes. “ _ Ok, well it seems these strange people can hear me. And they have a strange energy. It must be linked somehow _ ” she thought as she hopped around on the roof.

“Did…did a bird just talk to us?” The one named Omega asked the others, all of whom nodded. 

“Yeah man. I think. Or we are going crazy.” The tall skinny one spoke this time. 

“D’ya think we should get Papa? He may want to see this.” One of the smaller ghouls asked the others. 

“Will he believe that we found a talking bird?” another chimed in. 

“Water, go get Papa. If we can somehow hear this bird, maybe he can as well.“ The one standing next to Omega said. 

The tall skinny one, Water as he seemed to be called, ran off in the direction the skull man walked off to.

“Bird, say something again!” 

“Don’t spook it! Papa needs to see this!” 

“Alpha, relax. I am just trying to get it to talk more. This is insane.” Omega turned away from the one called Alpha and looked back up at Morgana, she herself staring back down at them. 

They were very odd and she had a hard time telling them apart. She wondered why they wore such strange masks, so she decided to ask them first about them. 

“Why the weird face masks?” She tilted her head at them, startling them yet again as they weren’t used to a talking bird. Before they could answer, Water returned with Papa in tow. Morgana’s eyes focused on the skull faced man. He was medium height for a man, black slicked back hair, skull paint on his face, and a black suit with an emblem on the jacket. What caught her attention about him, other than the similar energy he had to the five ghouls, were his mismatched eyes: one green and one white. She blinked, curious. “How odd...” She muttered to herself, having never seen anyone like these people before.

Papa’s eyes went from the ghouls and up to the raven and crossed his arms.

“What is going on here? Water said something about a bird talking? Is this the ‘talking bird’?” He asked them while pointing up at the raven. They answered with a nod, earning a sigh from their leader. They did not have the time to be playing games, they had a ritual in a few hours

“… _ va bene _ . Prove it,  _ corvo _ .” He glared at each ghoul before turning his attention to Morgana, demanding “talk”. Morgana glared at him and puffed up her feathers. Part of her wanted to ignore him, but part of her wanted to learn more about who they were and what they did. They had such odd energy and they could  _ hear _ her. 

“Excuse you, skull man, I have a name. And I do not know what a  _ corvo _ is,” she said curtly to him, feathers still puffed up in annoyance. Papa’s eyes widened in surprise, not expecting what the ghouls said to be real, that the raven could talk.

“Well, well... it seems like you ghouls were telling the truth. Never have I seen a talking  _ corvo _ . Raven.” His eyes were filled with curiosity as he ignored the confused look of all the other people around them.

“Papa, maybe we should ask her to come down here? People are starting to stare.” Alpha said, glaring at the workers unloading their equipment. Papa nodded at Alpha without even looking at him, his eyes still on Morgana. 

“Alright. Would you mind coming down here and we can maybe talk without an audience?” Papa asked her. Morgana tilted her head, and noticed that they have garnered the attention of everyone, something she did not like it. Chirping, she flew off the bus and landed on Papa’s head. He tried very hard not to flinch as he felt her talons in his hair. “…not what I was expecting, but okay. Into the bus we go!” Papa walked slowly, balancing Morgana on his head and following the lead of the ghouls back into the bus.

Once inside the bus, Morgana hopped off Papa’s head and landed on the table, examining her surroundings and hoping that these people did not trap her in the vehicle to harm her.

“ _ Well, this was sort of a dumb idea. Why did I agree…oh right, cause they can hear me... _ ” She thought to herself before her eyes landed back on Papa. She found him intriguing. 

“Alright. I will start,” Papa said, crossing his arms.

“My name is Papa Emeritus the Third. These are my ghouls, Omega, Alpha, Water, Earth and Air.” 

He pointed to each ghoul in accordance to their name. “So, what is your name,  _ corvo _ ?” He turned his attention back to Morgana. A talking raven was something confusing, yet intriguing.

“My name is Morgana. Pleasure to make your acquaintance Papa Emeritus the third.” She bowed her head in greeting. She found the name to be a little funny, not understanding his title, but nevertheless she was polite, “…and ghouls?” She asked, unable to figure out whether Papa’s companions were human at all.

“Alright, Morgana.” Papa nodded and smiled at her. “Lovely name. How did a raven come to be able to talk, hm? What are you?” He asked her as he sat down in one of the chairs at the table she was perched on. She turned to face him and tilted her head in thought and after a few moments, she replied, “That is about all I know. I…I cannot recall much of who I am or my past. I do know I was a human a long time ago.” She paused in thought before continuing, “I believe…I believe I was something like a magician or witch. I recall being able to use magicks, but not the details. I have been trapped in raven form for what feels like centuries.” 

Papa sat back and stared at her as the ghouls started to chirp and talk amongst themselves. He was not sure what to make of this: He knew of people who practiced magic, Hell, their own church had its own resident witch but being trapped in the body of an animal? He had a hard time wrapping his mind around that.

“Seems you have a mild form of amnesia, yes? You are obviously not even from here, judging by your accent. British maybe?” He asked, startling Morgana. 

“Yes! Yes…I believe I am,” she sighed. Papa kept his eyes on the crestfallen raven. He wondered if the witch back at home at the church could help her; he could not even imagine how difficult it would be to be trapped like this. He was about to ask another question but Morgana spoke before he got the chance. 

“Most only hear cawing from me,” She looked around. The ghouls stopped talking and were looking at her. “For some reason, you can understand me. And you all have this energy, it feels so much different than normal people, which is what drew me from the park. I sensed something different and had to find out, only to find you six. So tell me, Emeritus, who are  _ you _ ?” She hopped closer to him, tilting her head and staring at his interesting eyes.

“I am the current leader of the Church of Ghost, as well as the vocalist in our little band here. We are doing a ritual tonight and are currently on tour to gain more followers in the worship of the Olde One.” He spoke evenly. It was hard to judge facial expressions on a bird. Morgana nodded slowly. Some of what he said sounded familiar. But she couldn’t place it. “I see. So you are the leader of a satanic church, and what of these ‘ghouls’? Are they followers or something?” She asked, looking at the masked men. Papa chuckled and shook his head.

“Not quite so, my dear. Ghouls are demons summoned from the pits of hell. They reside at the church. And some, such as these ones, play instruments for the church band. They typically do not show their true form to anyone but those they deeply trust.” Papa said, and the five ghouls just nodded. She was taken aback by that information. She was quiet for a few minutes trying to process everything.

_“How did I end up being_ _surrounded by Satanists? It would explain their odd energy pattern. Yet it still feels familiar_.” She thought. Curse her amnesia. She was confused and conflicted. They seemed like decent enough people. And maybe that is why they could understand her? She knew magick practitioners were sometimes in accordance to people like this. Was she? Morgana shook her head. So many thoughts, so little memories to help.

“Okay…this. This is quite a lot to process. I am still extremely lost. But I have this…feeling that you,” Morgana looked right at Papa, “and your church or whatever can help me. Maybe get my memories back. Or even---even get normal body back.” She hopped around on the table, anxious. This may be the beginning of a new adventure. One that gave her a tiny sliver of hope that maybe she would not be stuck as a raven for eternity. If they could help her regain her memories or even her body, she would owe them a great debt.

“I do not know how you can help, but I just…trust my instinct. And it is saying to stay and return to your church with you.” She glanced at the ghouls before her eyes settled back on Papa again. He was quiet for a moment, thinking. “Maybe the rat can help her.” Alpha snickered. Omega turned to him and stomped his foot. “Be respectful of the Cardinal.” Alpha just shrugged. Papa turned his attention from his thoughts to the raven in front of him.

“Yes, I believe they are onto something. Copia does spend a lot of time in the library...maybe a book will have a spell to be able to help with the mess you have found yourself in…or maybe even my eldest brother. He was always good with spells...” he paused for a moment before continuing, “But we have five more rituals after tonight's before we leave to return home. If you truly wish to come with us, to maybe get the help you need, then you would be forced to join us for the rest of the rituals before we fly back.” He finished as he glanced at his watch and stood up.

“You are free to stay on this bus while we perform out ritual. It is safe, do not worry. No one will bother you,  _ uccellino _ . But we must be getting ready for the ritual tonight.” Papa said, nodding at the ghouls who all started to exit the bus. He turned back to Morgana, who had started to hop around the bus, exploring. “Oh, in case you get hungry… uhm let’s see. The ghouls keep snacks around here someplace…” Papa muttered as he headed towards the bunks. He returned moments later with a triumphant smile.

“Here, it is not great, but I imagine you have not had the liberty of being picky with what you can eat as a bird, hm?” He opened the box of goldfish he found and laid it on the table, allowing Morgana to be able to eat from the box. She looked from the Papa, to the box and back to Papa. “I…thank you…truly. I do not know if going with you will even work. But I must try? I mean you are the only ones who can hear me.” She hopped over to the box of goldfish and picked up one and ate it.

“I so cannot wait to eat real food again.” She grumbled. Papa laughed. “If we can return to back to normal, I will take you out to dinner and you can eat anything you wish.” He winked at her before patting her on the head. “Stay here,  _ uccellino _ . We will return in a few hours, okay?” She nodded to him as he turned and quickly left the bus. She watched them all head into the building, wishing she could go with them. Morgana sighed and went back to eating the goldfish.

“I should explore this thing. Never had I dreamed of being in one of these bus things.”

  
An hour or so later and Morgana was done exploring. She found this bus to be amazing. Much better than the tree she had called home for a while in Central Park. She had her fill of goldfish crackers and yawned. Today was very overwhelming and tiring. But she felt with these people she had hope of returning to how she was. And so she would stay. And go to these last rituals of theirs before returning to their church. With a nod to herself, Morgana decided to it was time to try and get some sleep. She flew over to the small loveseat and nestled herself against the pillows. This would do. She was so comfortable that it only took moments to fall asleep. Three more hours passed before Papa and the ghouls returned to the bus. The ghouls entered the bus first followed by Papa. Omega stopped short, causing everyone else to bump into him and each other. “What’s up?” Alpha asked, peering over Omega’s shoulder and spotted what made the rhythm guitarist stop. Morgana was nestled up on the pillows on the couch, asleep. She would occasionally chirp in her sleep. No one moved for a minute, unsure what to do. “Hey, what is the hold up over there?” Papa asked from the back of the line. He was tired and just wanted to change and get into bed. He pushed himself through the group of ghouls until he could see what made Omega stop. A small smile crept to his face at the sight. Seems she decided to join them for the rest of the tour. Papa turned to the ghouls and spoke in a whisper, “Try and be a little quiet tonight boys, yes? Our new friend must have been quite tired.” He moved to the side and let the ghouls pass. They chirped quietly amongst themselves as they made their way to their bunks. Papa got himself a drink from the mini fridge and watched Morgana for a moment. He was mystified by her. A witch, or something else trapped in the body of their spirit animal. He had a hard time wrapping his mind around it but he felt the need to help her. He did not know why, but he  _ had  _ to. And those feelings confused him as well. With a shrug he finished his drink before heading to his room at the back of the bus for some much needed rest.  
Tomorrow was a rest day as they drove to their next city.


	2. First ritual

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2 is here! I do hope you enjoy it!
> 
> Sneaky Morgana gets to see a concert.

The next few days flew by very quickly for Morgana. She spent a lot of time getting to know the ghouls and Papa while on the road. Occasionally, she mixed up the ghouls names, which made them all laugh. Morgana especially liked talking with Papa. He would tell her more about this church of ghost, about the clergy, his brothers and stories of the rituals they performed while on tour. It was also how she found out he was Italian and what this nickname he gave her meant, _ uccellino _, little bird. She was starting to grow accustomed to it. And that is where she found herself today, the day of their last ritual before heading back to the church. She was sitting on a pillow on Papa’s bed in the back of the bus munching on some more of the stolen goldfish crackers. He was lounging on the other side, propped up on his elbow and facing her, telling her stories of previous rituals they have done. The more he told her, the more intrigued she got.

“I would love to see one of these rituals. Tell me Emeritus, do many people gather at them? It must get very loud from the electrical instruments!” Morgana asked, taking a cracker and eating it. Papa laughed, he had no idea why she decided to call him Emeritus. Most just called him Papa. He decided he actually did not mind really, especially since she was not officially part of the clergy. He turned to look at Morgana and smiled, “Yes, lots of people show up! It is quite exhilarating to play in front of so many souls. We gain more and more followers each tour, and you do not need to keep calling them ‘electrical instruments’, _ cara _.” He chuckled. Morgana turned away, embarrassed. She was, after all these years, still adjusting to new things. Had she been in human form her face would have been red. Papa picked up one of the goldfish crackers with a chuckle and ate it.

“You know…we could try and sneak you into this ritual. Yes? You would enjoy that?” He grinned, thinking it sounded fun. Morgana whipped her head back to gawk at him. “W-what? Really? But how will I see the show?” She tilted her head to the side. Papa thought for a moment before an idea came to him. “Many times there are cat walks…like rafters and such. You could perch yourself up in those and get a birds eye view of the show! Pun totally intended.” He laughed, grabbing another handful of goldfish and shoving them in his mouth. Morgana laughed as well. She hated being stuck like this, but she had to admit, just being able to _ talk _ to others helped her mood about it tremendously.

“Well, if you think it could work, I would love to watch you and the ghouls perform your ritual.” Morgana grinned at him. Well…mentally. Hard to grin with a beak. “Great! I have an idea on how to get you inside…”

And this is how Morgana found herself stuffed in a guitar case. “…why did I—_ ow _ —agree to— _ ow _ \---this?! O-omega be more _ careful! _” She hissed at the ghoul who was carrying the case. “S-sorry!” Omega whispered back, trying to be more careful. He was sneaking his way up to the catwalk area. Once up there he opened the case.

“Papa said to just stay up here. You have a great view of the stage. One of us will come get you after the show. Oh and here, so we can see you from the stage.” He said quickly, putting a small jeweled pendant of what Papa called a ‘grucifix’ around her neck. It was the same symbol that was on his and the ghouls outfits. Omega quickly closed the case and took off. Well, guess she was stuck up here for the next few hours, but she was so excited! She had never seen a band perform before. At least she was sure she hadn’t. If she had, it was not a modern band that was for sure. Morgana was not sure what to expect but she was just happy to be able to see what it was they did on tour. Soon, people flooded into the theater. And not long after that the show started.

Morgana could not take her eyes off the stage. She was captivated with what Papa and the ghouls were doing. She was also enjoying the music quite a bit. She knew he could sing, having heard him either singing to himself while writing in one of his books, or even singing in the shower on the bus. But this was on a whole other level. The ghouls were amazing too, with their instruments. She continued to watch Papa prance around on stage, doing what he did best and she found herself bopping her head to the beat. The next song started with Alpha and Omega playing as the lights turned blue. She watched the stage intently. Then Papa walked out to the microphone stand and started to sing.

_ “I feel your presence amongst us...you cannot hide in the darkness…” _ He sang, looking around at the crowd. Morgana was enjoying this song very much. Soon the song slowed a little and Papa started to stroke the microphone stand. _ “I can feel the thunder that’s breaking in your heart…I can see through the scars inside you…I can feel the thunder that’s breaking in your heart…I can see through the scars inside you…” _ He made a hand gesture that, if Morgana had the ability to blush, she would have. The music picked back up and Papa then walked around on stage singing. He would look up occasionally, as if looking for her. Morgana looked down at the necklace Omega gave her and she moved a little, making the light catch off the gems on it. She looked back to the stage, and saw Papa staring in her direction. Ah, so he must have seen it. He continued to do his thing on stage, but at one point in the song he got down on his knees. Morgana tilted her head, watching. He raised his hand in her direction, not taking his eyes off her, _ “Can’t you see that you’re lost? Can’t you see that you’re lost without me? …I can feel the thunder that’s breaking in your heart…I can see through the scars inside you...I can feel the thunder that’s breaking in your heart…I can see through the scars inside you…” _ He then blew a kiss in her direction, causing Morgana to just about fell out of the rafters.

“_ W-what the hell was that? _” She felt her heart flutter, not knowing that it was a typical thing he did during this song. But tonight, he decided to sing that part to her. This was after all, her first ritual and he was growing fond of her. The rest of the song went smoothly and ended. It was time for intermission. She was enjoying herself quite a bit and was humming to herself, shaking her little raven body back and forth. She remembered Papa saying that the intermission was about 15 minutes. Soon the intermission was over and the rest of the show commenced.

Before she knew it the show ended. She clapped her little wings as they all bowed. She could see now why she overheard so many people over the years talk so highly of concerts. She loved it! Hopping over to where the staircase was, she waited for one of the ghouls. It was shortly after all the people had left that she heard footsteps approaching. Papa Emeritus III popped his head up into the rafters, looking around and once he spotted Morgana he grinned.

“All aboard!” He opened the guitar case, waiting for her to hop into it. Shaking her head, Morgana hopped into the case and hunkered down. “Please be more careful than Omega was!” She yelled as he zipped it up. Papa chuckled.

“Have no fear,_ uccellino _. I will be gentle.” He picked up the guitar case and held it in both hands instead of by the handle like Omega. This made it less jarring.

Once back on the bus, Papa opened the guitar case and Morgana hopped out and flew up onto the table. The ghouls were all sitting around and she looked at them all and then to Papa.

“T-that was amazing! You all were amazing!” She chirped happily and the ghouls chirped back. She found they enjoyed that. Earth patted her on the head as Papa spoke, “Thank you, _ uccellino _! I am glad you enjoyed our little ritual.” He smiled, “But now, rest. We fly back tomorrow!” The ghouls chirped happily before standing up and heading to their bunks. Papa stayed behind to speak with Morgana. He sat down in one of the chairs, resting his chin on his hands, thinking before speaking.

“We have…two options to get you back with us to the church,” He paused, glancing at her. “I am only fond of one, but it is your decision.” He said as he leaned back in the chair. Morgana looked at him, curious, waiting for him to continue.

“Option 1 is that you fly back. It would be a very long and tiring journey across the ocean. The church is located in mountains in Sweden. Option 2 is the one I would prefer, but again, it is up to you, _ uccellino _. I hide you in my jacket and use a charm to make you invisible for a brief time. You would sit with me in the back of the plane and hide under the jacket. It would most likely be the most comfortable option, yes?” He looked at her, waiting for her to make a decision. Morgana looked down at the table, thinking.

_ “Do I want to fly all that distance? What if I need to rest? The ocean is vast. No. I do not wish to try that...It seems too dangerous.” _ She sighed. _ “So really, that just leaves having to cuddle with Emeritus.” _ That thought made her feel flustered, and her feathers puffed a bit. She looked up at him and nodded. “…I agree, option 2 seems the best choice.” He smiled.

“Good! Now that that is settled, time for sleep.” Standing up, he stretched. Morgana watched out of the corner of her eye. “Sleep well, _ cara mia _” He said and patted her head before heading off to bed. “Emeritus?” She called after him. Papa stopped and turned around, waiting for her to continue. “What was that song called you sang? T-the one about thunder and hearts?” She asked, clearly embarrassed. Papa grinned, “Cirice” he said, turning back around and walking down the hall. Morgana sat there for a moment before jumping over to the pillow nest she had on the couch and settled in for the night, humming ‘Cirice’ to herself before she fell asleep, still wearing the necklace.

* * *

A scream made Papa sit straight up in his bed and look around frantically. There was another scream followed by sobs and muffled words. He quickly jumped out of the bed and ran out the door--not caring he was only wearing some purple boxers--and down the hall, passing the ghouls who were poking their heads out of their bunks, wondering what was going on. They all rolled out of the bunks and followed Papa. He stopped in the living area of the bus as another scream was heard. It came from Morgana. The witch turned raven was wriggling around on the couch as if trying to escape something, muttering pleas between screams. A nightmare has gripped her it seemed. Papa went over and scooped her up, hugging her little body. This seemed to trigger more screaming and Morgana scratching him with her talons and biting his arms. Wincing, he did not let go. “_ Uccellino _ , wake up!” He called but she continued to struggle against him. Alpha sent the rest of the ghouls back to bed, got a glass of water and set it on the table. He knew Papa could handle this and went back to bed as well. The Third continued to comfort her and try and get her to wake up. “…Morgana, wake up. C’mon pull yourself from this nightmare, _ uccellino _ !” Morgana, through the fog in her brain thought she heard Papa Emeritus III calling her. She stopped struggling and quickly opened her eyes with a gasp. She went limp in Papa’s arms and just shook, the nightmare still fresh in her mind. Sitting on the couch, Papa continued to hold her, “Shh, it’s alright _ uccellino _. I’m here. You are safe. It was just a nightmare…” He gently pet her back. She nuzzled her face into his chest and sobbed. She had no idea what caused this nightmare or if it was a memory. Once her sobs died down she leaned back to look at him.

“I…I’m s-sorry I woke everyone up…” Morgana spoke quietly, voice hoarse, then noticed the scratch marks on his arms and chest from her struggling while stuck in the nightmare. Morgana gasped, horrified. “Oh my...Emeritus, I am s-so sorry! I…I d-didn’t mean to hurt you.” She felt awful. Not just from having a nightmare, but she had scratched him up pretty badly.

“It’s fine, _ uccellino _ . It is not your fault. You were in a nightmare.” He spoke evenly, trying to calm her down. “Please…g-go clean those scratches. I will be fine. _ I’m sorry _.” She closed her eyes and hung her head. Papa shook his head. “Hush, I’m fine. You are not.” He continued to pet her back.

“Did…you wish to talk about it? Sometimes that helps.” Papa asked her softly. Morgana shook her head. She still was having a hard time processing everything. “Alright. Well,” Papa grabbed the cup of water, “Have some water. Would you like to sleep with me?” He asked and Morgana almost choked on the water. Had she been in her true form, she would have been beet red. “I…I’m s-sorry?” She sputtered out. Papa shrugged “Would you like to sleep in my room? You can make a nest on the other pillow. If you would rather stay out here, that is fine. I just thought…”He was trying to be comforting to her. Morgana really did not want to be alone.

“Y-yes.” She muttered quietly. Papa nodded and stood up, still holding her and heading back to his room at the end of the bus. Once there, he set her down on the other pillow. Morgana finally got a good look at him. She tried not to be flustered at the sight of him in only a pair of purple boxers. She thought he was handsome and had quite the body—she snapped out of that thought, seeing all the marks she made on him. She winced.

“Emeritus, pp-please go take care of the scratches.” He sighed and nodded to her before disappearing out the door. Morgana settled into the pillow and sighed. So much for a good night sleep. She was still awake when Papa quietly came back into the room, wounds cleaned. He gently laid down on his half of the bed and closed his eyes. “Do not worry yourself, _ uccellino _. Try and get some sleep.” He spoke softly before going back to sleep himself. Morgana sat there for a few minutes just watching him before his soft breathing lulled her to sleep, her final thoughts were that he smelled pretty good.

The next morning came quickly. When Morgana woke up, Papa was not there. She could hear the ghouls were up as well. She was startled from her thoughts by a knock. The door opened to reveal Papa, dressed in a different outfit. He wore the same trousers and shoes but instead had a black button up shirt and purple suspenders. He smiled when he saw she was awake.

“Good morning. I’m glad to see you finally awake, _ uccellino _. We are almost to the airport.” He paused for a second before remembering something. “Oh, I brought you some breakfast.” He sat down on the bed and offered her a bowl of peanuts. Not her favorite thing but it would do. They tried their best over the past few days to keep things she could eat as a raven on the bus. She appreciated the thought and could not wait to eat real food again. Morgana was pulled from her thoughts as he spoke again.

“Okay, so here is the plan. I can put a charm on your necklace” he pointed to the grucifix she was still wearing, “and for an hour at most, you will be invisible. I can’t do much better than that. My eldest brother is the one good at spells, not me.” He chuckled. Morgana looked at the necklace.

“But it should be long enough til we get on the plane. Then you can hide in my jacket for the flight.” Morgana nodded. Seemed like an easy enough plan. “The first flight will be 6 to 7 hours. Then we have a connecting flight for about 2 hours.” He said standing back up. Morgana was starting to get nervous. She had never been on a plane before and knew almost nothing about them or what to expect.

“Would you like to go sit at the table?” Papa asked her and she nodded. He picked her up along with the bowl of peanuts and returned to the main area of the bus and placed her on the table. Morgana sat and munched on the peanuts, looking out the window. This was it, soon she would be on a plane to someplace new. She was excited at the prospect that Papa’s church might be able to help her. But she was also terrified. What if they couldn’t help her? What if she was stuck like this forever? She shook her head. _ “No…even if I were stuck like this…at least…at least I would be able to talk to somebody….That is better than nothing I guess.” _ She thought to herself, watching the cars on the interstate. So lost in her thoughts, she did not notice someone sitting down next to her. 

“Excited?” Omega asked her. Morgana jumped and turned to look at the ghoul. “Sorry!” He chuckled. 

“No...It’s okay.” She said shaking her head.“I am. A little nervous as well. I have never been on a plane.” She chuckled nervously. Omega pat her head, “It isn’t too bad. Boring mostly. Sometimes they play movies.” He shrugged. “Oh, just so you know, us ghouls will be using a glamor to look like normal humans.” He said, pointing to his grucifix necklace, “But we will all have the necklaces on. If for any reason you get separated from Papa, try and find us, ok? He too will be wearing a necklace.” She nodded. Omega smiled and stood up to go finish packing his stuff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it.  
Any comments and kudos are much appreciated!


	3. Bird on a plane

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The flight back to the church and Morgana's first time on a plane.
> 
> Hope you enjoy this chapter :)  
Sorry it is a little shorter.

Soon enough they were pulling into the airport. The ghouls glamored themselves, and Morgana watched, transfixed. The magic of the spell felt  _ familiar _ . Papa walked out from the bathroom, devoid of his skull paint and wearing sunglasses and holding a jacket over his arm. He looked a little uncomfortable. Morgana stared at him. Even without the face paint he was still handsome.

“Alright, let’s head out.” He said and the ghouls exited the bus, each carrying a bag. Papa knelt down in front of Morgana.

“Once the spell is cast we have about an hour before it wears off. You can just sit on my shoulder until we get on the plane, okay?” Morgana nodded. Papa wrapped his hand around the grucifix and muttered a few words. She gasped as she felt a wave of the glamor magic wash over her.

“It’s worked. Okay, let’s go  _ uccellino _ .” Morgana quickly jumped onto his shoulder and they exited the bus. Papa and the ghouls made it into the airport with no issues. Morgana sat upon Papa’s shoulder and looked around, amazed because she had never seen an airport. The group went through security and eventually made it to their gate with a bit of time to spare. Papa glanced at his watch, hoping they could get on the plane soon before the glamor wore off Morgana. She shuffled a little on his shoulder, “W-when do we get onto the plane?” She spoke quietly to him. Unfortunately, not quietly enough and the caw was loud enough that people started to look around, confused. Morgana panicked and accidentally blurted out “I’m sorry!” which in turn was a loud caw to everyone nearby. The ghouls looked at Papa who was trying to stay calm and act like nothing was happening.

“ _ Uccellino _ !” He whispered quickly, “you must be quiet. We cannot draw attention to ourselves.” Morgana did not answer him and just hung her head, embarrassed. 

Soon after that, they were all allowed to board the plane. The Third and the ghouls headed to their seats in the very back. Papa chose the window seat to allow Morgana to hide easier. Omega sat next to him and Alpha on the isle seat. Across the isle was Earth, Water and Air. Not long after he sat down, the invisible glamor wore off on Morgana, but since people were still boarding and walking around, he quickly grabbed her off his shoulder and placed her on his lap, covered by his jacket.

“Sorry,  _ uccelino _ . The spell wore off cannot be cast again for a bit. Once the coast is clear, you can poke your head out from the jacket.” He whispered to her. She nodded her head. As the plane started to taxi on the runway, Papa lifted part of the jacket to let her look around. “I think it is safe now.” He said, giving her a smile. Morgana looked up at him before looking out the window. Soon they started to take off and Morgana was not prepared and almost fell off Papa’s lap. He wrapped his arms around her to keep her still, and could feel her speeding heartbeat.

“You’re okay. Relax,  _ uccellino _ . I am here and the ghouls are here. No need to be frightened.” Morgana looked at him again, “I know, it’s just…I have never been on a plane and I don’t know what to expect? This is all so…new.” With a sigh, she settled down his lap, looking back out the window.

The ghouls were either asleep or playing on some electronic device. Papa was playing a game on his phone, while absentmindedly petting Morgana. She was secretly enjoying it and started to doze off, still a little tired from not sleeping well the night before. Before she could fully fall asleep, the Third quickly pulled the jacket back over her. Startled Morgana almost made a noise but managed to stop herself. Listening, she heard a woman talking to Papa and the ghouls.

“ _ Would you like any drinks or snacks _ ?” The voice asked. She was still a little hungry but with the stewardess was right there, so she could not speak. She nudged Papa gently in the stomach with her beak, hoping he would get the hint that she wanted a snack. “I’ll take a red wine and two bags of pretzels” Papa told the stewardess. She got everything together and handed the two bags of pretzels and wine to Papa. Once she was she was gone, he lifted the jacket again. “Here” He opened the little bag of pretzels and held it for her to eat while he sipped his wine. It was bad, but he shrugged but continued to drink it. Morgana happily started to munch on her pretzels.

“Thank you, Emeritus.” Once done with her pretzels she settled back down in his jacket, intending on taking a nap. She was out like a light within minutes.

About two hours later she opened her eyes and looked around. Papa had taken out a neck pillow and was currently sleeping. Alpha, Earth and Air were also asleep. Water was watching videos on some hand held device and Omega was reading a magazine. She shifted uncomfortably, having to go to the bathroom but did not want to wake Papa up. “Hey, Omega.” She whispered. The ghoul looked down at her silently.

“Can you sneak me into the bathroom?” She was embarrassed to even have to ask this. Omega looked from Morgana to Papa and back to Morgana and nodded. “Sure.” He picked her up, still wrapped in the jacket and nudged Alpha with his leg. “Move, going to the bathroom” Once Alpha finally moved out of the way, Omega made his way to the bathroom, thankful there was one close by behind them. He placed her inside the stall. “Uhm, just uh, do your thing.” He closed the door and waited til she was done. Morgana tapped on the door with her beak to let him know she was finished and Omega opened the door and scooped her back up, hiding her in the jacket. Once they got back to their seats, she noticed that Papa just woke up and was looking around confused. Omega sat back down and placed Morgana back on his Papa’s lap. That made the man sigh in relief.

“I was wondering why my lap felt empty” Papa chuckled. “Sorry…I did not want to wake you up. Omega was kind enough to help me get to the bathroom.” The ghoul nodded before settling back into his magazine.

Morgana had just settled herself back down on Papa’s lap, nestled in his jacket when the plane shook. She tried to stay quiet and looked around wildly.

_ “What was that? Why did it do that? What is happening?” _ Papa must have heard her thoughts as the plane shook again. He pet her back gently, “It is just turbulence,  _ uccellino _ . It happens sometimes.” Morgana did not like this at all, but something about it freaked her out to the core. She was really starting to panic and started to flap her wings. Papa’s eyes widened and he quickly held her wings down and hugged her to himself. The plane shook again.

“Shit! Shhh. It’s alright, calm---“ there was a voice over the intercom,  _ “This is your Captain speaking. We apologize for the turbulence. There is no cause for concern as it should be over soon.” _ The intercom clicked off and Papa continued. “—down. See even the captain said nothing to worry about. And the ghouls have not even woken up.” He looked over to the sleeping ghouls and shook his head. Morgana focused on her breathing, trying to calm down as well as listening to his steady heartbeat. Eventually the turbulence stopped and Morgana’s breathing returned to normal.

“I..uhm..s-sorry…I don’t know why that scared me so much…” She whispered quietly to him. Papa shook his head, “No need to apologize. This is new to you. Many people have a similar fear.” He looked down at her, giving her a small smile and placing her back in his lap.

The rest of the flight was rather uneventful, which Morgana was happy for. Once they started to land, Papa poke, “Alright. We have another flight to catch and then we will be home.” He pet her head and nodded to the ghouls. They all smiled, happy to be almost home.  _ Home. _ Morgana wondered if this was going to be her new home. She would have to see what it was like. If they could get her back to normal, she might even stay if she likes it. If not, well…she will stay purely just to have other people to talk to. Once the plane landed, Papa cast the invisible glamor on her and she hopped up and settled on his shoulder again before they exited the plane and headed to their next flight. The next flight was more of the same, minus the turbulence. Except this time when the plane started to descend, Papa III was getting nervous. Morgana looked at him curiously, “What’s wrong?” She whispered, not sure if she should get worried as well. Papa looked at her and frowned, “Well…this was a much shorter flight…I uh, can’t recast the invisible glamor yet…” He looked away, ashamed at himself. He was never overly good at the spell casting like his brothers. Morgana nudged him with her beak and he turned back to her. “Ok...well…maybe you can just wrap me in your jacket…no wait that is obvious. Maybe I can just…go in your bag? Until we exit the airport?” She wasn’t fond of the idea of being shoved in a bag with all of his items but at the moment there was no other option. Papa nodded quickly and once the plane landed he stood and grabbed his bag from the overhead compartment and opened it for Morgana. She quickly jumped in and he zipped it back up before anyone noticed.

Once they made it outside the airport, he opened the bag to let her out. Jumping out and landing on the ground she coughed. “I would much rather not do that again.” She stopped coughing and looked around.

“Yeah…sorry about that,  _ uccellino _ . Hopefully that will be the last time you have to.” Soon a car pulled up and Papa and the ghouls headed for it. A ghoul got out of the car and opened the door for them. The five band ghouls all filed in and Papa stood by the door and looked behind him at the raven on the ground, “Well, this is our ride,  _ uccellino _ . C’mon.” He waved his hand in a ‘get in’ motion and she quickly flew into the car, crash landing with Alpha. “Ah! Sorry!” She yelped and settled down against Papa, who just entered. Alpha shrugged, “It’s fine.” Morgana looked at the ghouls and noticed they all removed their glamors. It was odd seeing them back as they normally are. “How long is the ride?” She asked, looking out the window. “Not too long. We will be back at the church in no time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! 
> 
> Any comments and kudos are appreciated :)


	4. Arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papa Emeritus III has a weird dream and they finally arrive back at the church.
> 
> Thank you everyone who reads this. I hope you enjoy it! :)

_ Blackness. That is all he saw in every direction. “Hello? Can anyone hear me?” He called out, picking a direction and just walking. He had no idea here he was, and it was making him scared. “Hello? Please! Anyone?” He called out again, frantically running in the direction he chose, when suddenly there was a light. He ran to it and was transported back to his room at the church. Confused, he looked around and saw a woman sitting on his couch. “Who are you?” He asked, walking around to see her better. She had long, wavy black hair, fair skin complexion and striking emerald green eyes. He took note of her attire as well. It was a black ruffled blouse, a black frilly skirt that went down a little past her knees, black dress boots and a small gruciffix necklace. Wait. He knows that necklace before. It was the same one he had given Morgana. The woman looked at him confused. “Are you okay, Dante? It’s me, Morgana. Remember?” He knew that voice. It was her voice. But she was human. And absolutely beautiful. _

Papa awoke; startled, before looking around the car, noticing the ghouls were all chatting amongst themselves and Morgana was on his lap, looking out the window. She was still a raven.  _ “What was that dream? I saw her as a human. But…is that how she looks? Or was my mind just giving her a body? She called me by my name, yet she does not know it.” _ The Third sighed, turning his gaze to look out the window as well.   
“Are you okay, Emeritus?” Morgana asked, having heard him and noting his frown. He looked down at her and gave her a small, tired smile. “I am okay. Just a weird dream, that is all.” He pat her head and turned his gaze back to the window as he continued to ponder over the weird dream. Morgana decided to just leave it at that, and turned her attention back to the window as well.  _ “I hope I like it here. I am a little nervous though which I suppose that is to be expected. I hope we get there soon.” _

Soon enough, the car pulled through a gate and arrived at the church. The ghoul driver got out and opened the door for Papa and the others.   
“C’mon.” He held out his arm and Morgana jumped up and perched herself on his forearm. As he exited the vehicle, followed by the happy band ghouls, she was able to see the church for the first time and gasped. It was marvelous! Large and gothic architecture, there was a fountain and statue by the front doors and various different plants all over as well as gargoyles up on the roof. It was simply beautiful.   
“Wow…this is…this is amazing!” Morgana had never seen anything like this before. At least that she could remember. Papa smiled at her amazement. “It is, huh? Wait til you see the interior,  _ uccelino _ .” Walking towards the front door, they were greeted by various people. She looked at them all, curiously, observing that there were three men and a woman. Two of the men were taller and had skull paint like the Third. The other man was around the same height as Papa, but had a mustache, sideburns and black make up around his eyes. Morgana did notice that all three had the same heterochromatic eyes as Papa and found it to be a bit weird, but also very interesting. She decided to stay quiet for the moment, not sure if these people could hear her as well. The woman with them was an older woman with grey hair, a blazer and pencil shirt. Morgana instantly did not trust her.   
“The two taller ones are my older brothers, the other man is Cardinal Copia. The woman is Sister Imperator. Careful with her.” Papa whispered to her as they approached the front steps.   
“Welcome home, your Eminence.” The woman was the first to speak, her eyes going from Papa to Morgana, then back to Papa.   
“Welcome back, Papa.” Cardinal Copia, the man with the mustache, smiled, also looking at Morgana with eyes full of curiosity. The taller of the two with skull paint spoke next.   
“Brother…Why would you bring back such a disgusting creature from tour?” He crossed his arms.  _ “I can sort of see the resemblance. Wait…DISGUSTING?” _ She puffed up her feathers in fury. But before she could speak, Papa spoke up, his tone showing his anger.   
“Yes, yes. She is  _ not _ a disgusting creature.” He glared at his older brother as he continued, “I would prefer to speak in a more private place. My office, perhaps?” He walked past everyone and into the building. Papa and his older brother butted heads quite often and he was much closer to his eldest brother and hoped he could help them find a cure for Morgana. Morgana was feeling very confused and angry. She did not like this man already and was glad Papa was not like him at all. In the meantime, she looked around the foyer of the church in awe; it was magnificent. To think this beautiful place might be her new home. She was starting to love it already, minus a few people so far.   
“I will show you around after, alright,  _ uccelino _ ? Just need to explain everything to my brothers and I suppose Copia and Imperator as well. Though one of my brothers most likely will not care.” Papa spoke quietly to her before she turned her head and noticed the four were following behind. Once they arrived at their destination, Papa unlocked the door and dropped his bag onto the floor and going to sit behind his desk. 

Morgana hopped off his arm and perched herself on his desk, looking around. It was a good size office, with lots of books everywhere, as well as a mess on his desk. She shook her head with a chuckle. It did not surprise her that he would be messy with his paperwork.   
“She is not a normal raven, is she?” The oldest looking man spoke, giving Morgana a somewhat knowing look.  _ “Ah, he must be the one who knows spells and such. He seems much nicer than the other one.”  _ She thought with a head tilt as Papa turned to his brother and nodded.   
“Yes. While on tour, the ghouls found her. Well sort of. She found them. Whatever. Anyway…maybe it would be best if she explained?” He nodded to Morgana. She turned around and looked at the four other people. The oldest brother and the Cardinal looked curious. The other skull painted brother looked bored, and the woman looked neutral.   
“Let’s test this. Can you understand me?” Morgana asked them. Four pairs of eyes widened.   
“I will take that as a yes.” She hopped around the desk.   
“Okay. Well…my name is Morgana and I am stuck in my spirit animal form. I am a witch. But I have lost my memories. An odd energy drew me away from the park where I was living and that is how I found Emeritus and the ghouls. I feel like…I can maybe get help here because the energy feels…familiar. And you people seem to know spells, so I am hopefully to maybe get some sort of help?” It was a brief description, but she was not fond of two of these people already and did not wish to give them too much information. The First stared at her before nodding his head. “So I was correct. I could sense you were no mere raven.” He smiled and Morgana started to like him already. Copia looked at her in surprise. “R-really? That can happen? Well I suppose it can…I hope we can help you. How long have you been like this?” Morgana looked at him, tilting her head in thought. He seemed nice enough, so she decided to answer his question. “I’d say…about a 100 years. Maybe more or less. I lost count.” The First and Copia looked shocked.   
“See? Not a disgusting creature. I offered her help and I hope we can help her. It seems no one but the clergy and ghouls can understand her.” Papa crossed his arms and glared at his brother, who in turn scoffed and walked towards the door. “Do what you want. Not my problem.” And with that he walked out of the room. The First shook his head.   
“Do not mind him, Morgana. I will help in any way I can to get you back to your normal self.” Copia nodded as well, adding another comment. “I spend a lot of time in the library. I do not mind helping, if needed. 100 years is a long time to be alone as a bird.” He looked rather sympathetic. Morgana jumped up and down a little in happiness. She was so glad some were willing to help her. Imperator finally spoke up. “Well, do what you will. Just don’t go flying about the church and scaring people. And don’t cause any trouble.” With one final look at Morgana and Papa the Third, she briskly walked out. Everyone just stared at the door.   
“Ignore them both. We can find a way to turn you back on our own.” The Third looked at his eldest brother and the Cardinal, both men nodding their heads. Papa smiled, then turned his gaze to the raven on his desk. She was starting to look like she was losing steam.   
“I’d say in the next few days, start to look for a spell or something that can turn her back. But for now, I think we both deserve a nice rest.  _ Uccelino _ ?” Morgana looked up at him and nodded her head. The trip and all the new things happening were making her exhausted and she knew he must be as well.   
“Thank you both, for offering to help in any way you can. I greatly appreciate it. And I hope if I can become human again, maybe my memories will return.” The First looked at her and nodded. “We can only hope. Maybe certain things will trigger memories to come back. But I do hope that we can help you so you did not make this trip for naught.” Morgana shook her head at that last statement. “No, even…even if I were to be stuck like this forever, at least here I can talk to people. That counts for something in my book. It was a very lonely existence these past few centuries.” Copia looked at her sadly as he could sympathize with her. He was alone for a long time as well after surviving the plague. “At least you have a somewhat positive outlook on this. But nevertheless, we shall endeavor to help.” He pat her on the head before heading towards the door, the eldest Emeritus brother following him.   
“Have a good evening you two.” And with a click of the door, Papa and Morgana were left alone in his office.

Papa stood up and stretched with a groan as his back cracked. “As much as I love touring, I dislike being cramped on a plane for so long. For now, you can stay in my room.” He smiled, holding out his arm for her. Morgana hopped over, and landed on his outstretched arm with ease. “Thank you, Emeritus, for your help and hospitality.” She would have smiled if she had the ability. He looked at her in thought, his head tilting a little. “ _ Should I tell her? I should. We will be spending a lot of time together. And I like her. I wonder…that dream. Does she look like that? No, those thoughts can wait.” _ Papa cleared his throat. “Since you don’t call me by my title like most others, except basically everyone you met so far minus the ghouls, I think I should tell you my first name. I don’t let just anyone call me it, but you are special.” He smiled at her as she stared at him, nodding silently. “Dante. You can call me Dante.” Morgana looked at him for a moment before nodding again. “Alright, Dante. I like it, it suits you.” He grinned at her, his other hand coming over to pet her head.   
“Thank you! I like it as well.” With a chuckle, Dante headed towards the office door. He couldn’t keep the smile off his face. Just her small compliment on his name put him in a good mood. “ _ Dante? It does suit him. It is a lovely name. Dante Emeritus. I like it. But he called me special. What does he mean by that? I mean I guess my circumstance is rather special. But I feel he meant it in a different way. Oh well, I am sure I will figure it out eventually _ .”

She looked around as they headed towards his room. The church was marvelous. She could not wait to get the grand tour. After they rested up of course. It was like he could read her mind.   
“Ah, I said I would show you around,  _ uccelino _ ! Later of course when we are both not exhausted. I am sure you will like it here. Screw what Imperator said, you can fly around all you like.” He grinned at her before noticing a group of siblings of sin nearby, looking at them curiously. “Welcome back Papa!” One of the females said with a shy smile. Papa nodded to them, wondering if they heard him talking to Morgana. The witch stuck as a raven looked at the group, noticing how some of them were looking at Papa a certain way. She shook her head. “ _ Of course they stare at him like so. He is a very handsome man. But they do not even try to hide it. I guess that is a common thing here. Revel in their sins and so on I guess. Whatever. To each their own. I did not wish to join back then, and even if I will call this my home now, I will stay true to myself and still no interest in joining. Wait. Was that a memory? Back then…back then I knew of the clergy for this church. Or a similar church? My parents did as well _ .” Morgana sighed, causing Dante to glance at her. “ _ Well not much of a memory, but it is something I guess. Oh why is one of these people approaching? Go away _ .” She felt a small pang of jealousy as the sister approached, which startled her enough she almost fell off Papa’s arm. He caught her and looked at her with concerned eyes.   
“Nothing, nothing.” The sister stopped and looked at her. “Wherever did you find a raven, Papa? It is beautiful. May I pet it?” Papa turned to the sister, who was joined by her friends, looking at Morgana curiously. “ _ Seems they did not hear her speak then. So it must only be upper clergy? _ ” He looked at Morgana, who had by now puffed up her feathers in annoyance at being called ‘it’.   
“Ah! She is a very special Raven. Found her way into the tour bus and made herself right at home. Seemed friendly enough, so I thought why not bring her back here? I have always liked birds.” He grinned at them, making up a story with ease. Morgana turned her head and stared at him, her beak opening and closing as she was at a loss for words.   
“And no, I am afraid she is still getting used to her surroundings and would be best if you did not pet her.” The siblings looked a little sad, but Morgana did not care. “Thank you.” She said, knowing only Dante would hear her. She did not want some random strangers just touching her. The siblings nodded, smiled, said thank you and left. Once they were gone, Papa sighed and continued walking back to his room.   
“I am sorry about that,  _ uccelino _ . Had to make up a story to east their curiosity. Hope you don’t mind.” He stopped once he got to his door and fished around in his pocket for a key. “No problem, Dante. And thank you for not letting them pet me. I may have pecked their hands.” He paused and looked at her with a twinkle in his eye and a grin. “Really? That could have been rather funny to be honest. Feel free to do that if anyone tries to pet you without permission.” Morgana laughed before humming in agreement. 

The Third found his key and unlocked the door. “Welcome home? I hope my room will be alright with you. The couch is comfortable and you can make a nest with pillows, like you did on the bus.” He turned on the lights and Morgana got a good view of his room. Dark wood walls, dark wood floor. A fire place on the far wall with a deep purple couch and black rug in front of it. He had a small kitchenette and a liquor cabinet off to the side as well as a second desk, which like his office desk, was covered in papers. He also had a tv above the fireplace. There were two other doors. One to a fancy bathroom with a large black tub, a large glass enclosed shower and a lot of black marble. The other door led to his bedroom. He had a large king size bed in the middle of the far wall with purple sheets and pillows. Another black rug and a big wardrobe. The windows had purple and gold curtains. Overall it was a very lavish room. Morgana was in awe.   
“Wow…I have never been in such a fancy room before. It is very lovely, Dante. I am sure I will be okay here.” She flew off his arm and landed on the back of the couch. Papa went over to his liquor cabinet and pulled out a bottle of wine and out of habit, two goblets. He paused with a frown. She couldn’t have wine right now. Well she could maybe drink some? Would it hurt her as she was in the body of a raven? Best not to take chances. He put the wine away and instead went and grabbed a snack for them.   
“Ah good! I still have some.” He pulled out a box of animal crackers with a sheepish grin. Morgana looked at him and then to the crackers and laughed. He would have animal crackers. Dante walked over to the couch and opened up the box, patting the seat next to him. Morgana jumped down and stuck her head right in the box, grabbing a cracker. Dante let out a deep laugh which caused Morgana to chuckle. “S-sorry! I am hungry.” Papa just looked at her with a smile, taking some crackers for himself in one hand, his other hand holding out a handful to her to eat.   
“I do apologize it is not the best dinner. I will get you some better food that you can eat. And when you are back to normal, I did promise to take you out to dinner. And I keep my promises.” He smiled, content as he watched her take the crackers from his hand.   
“It is ok. I mean, this is much better than bugs, let me tell you. Worms do not taste good. Bleh!” she made a disgusted nose and stuck her tongue out, causing Papa to giggle. “ _ That…that was adorable. _ ” Morgana looked at him, mentally grinning. “But...yes, I cannot wait to eat a real meal! Oh, it has been so long since I enjoyed a nice, home cooked meal.” Her eyes glazed over as she thought about all the foods and drinks she missed. Papa popped a cracker in his mouth and closed his eyes. He was so determined to do whatever he could to get her back to normal. “ _ Especially if she looked like that...stop it! Now is not the time for dumb thoughts! And that was a damn dream, a person made up. I could not know what she looks like. Stupid, tired brain. _ ” Dante got up from the couch.   
“I will leave the box open for you,  _ uccelino _ . Eat as much as you like. I am going to take a shower and then probably sleep. Jet lag is so real.” Morgana watched him walk off, wondering why his mood changed so much.

Papa usually slept naked when not on tour. But with Morgana sharing his room, he thought it best to at least wear boxers or pajama pants. And so he grabbed a pair of purple and black plaid flannel pajama bottoms and headed towards the bathroom. He got the water to the right temperature and stripped of his clothes, before stepping into the shower with a sigh. The hot water felt good on his aching muscles. Without even realizing it, he started to sing as he washed up. Morgana was still sitting on his couch munching on the animal crackers when she heard him sing from the bathroom. She had no idea what song it was, but did not mind. She thought he had a lovely singing voice. She closed her eyes, remembering that night they snuck her into the final concert of their tour. She had such a great time. Opening her eyes, she looked down at the necklace she was still wearing. She loved it so much. With a happy chirp, she made a small little nest out of the pillows on his couch and settled in amongst them, her eyes closing. “ _ I cannot wait to see what tomorrow brings. And the days that follow. I know…I know they can help me here. I can feel it _ .” She started to drift off to sleep as she heard the shower turn off and the signing stop.

Papa got out of the shower, dried off and put the pajama pants on before stretching again. He felt much better. Quietly walking back out to the living room, he smiled at the little nest Morgana made with the pillows. He was about to turn off the light when her voice made him turn back around. He was sure she was asleep.

“Feel better? I know I said this before, but you sing wonderfully, Dante.” Morgana opened her eyes and looked him up and down. She inhaled, glad that she could not blush as a raven. He was so handsome in just his pajama pants. She saw him shirtless on the bus, but it still got the same reaction from her. Dante smiled and nodded. “Yes, a nice warm shower does wonders. And thank you,  _ uccelino _ . Sometimes I don’t even realize I sing in the shower. I am glad you don’t mind. I will uh, leave my door cracked a little bit in case you need me, okay?” Morgana nodded, already feeling the pull of sleep. She was out like a light before he even got to his bedroom. “Good night,  _ cara mia _ .” He said before getting into his bed and passing out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks! Another chapter down! 
> 
> Any comments and kudos are appreciated!


	5. Nightmares and the grand tour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papa Emeritus III has another strange dream and confides in his brother.
> 
> Hi! I hope you enjoy the chapter!!

Morgana woke up early the next morning even though she wanted to sleep longer.   
“This couch is too comfortable.” She hopped over and ate some more of the animal crackers for breakfast before flying to the window and perching herself on the windowsill. Even at this early hour, people were still outside, doing various things. She had a good view of the gardens and spotted a greenhouse off to the side. As odd as some things were here, she could see herself staying, especially with people to talk to. A groan from the Third’s bedroom made her turn away from the window and look towards the door. “ _ Should I go check on him _ ?” She heard another quiet groan and decided that she should go check. Flying over to the door, she easily nudged it open and flew in, perching herself on his nightstand. Dante had kicked off all his blankets and was wriggling around with his eyes shut tightly. His hands kept balling into fists and she could see he was sweating quite a bit. To Morgana, it looked as if he was having a nightmare.

_ The darkness had returned. Everywhere he looked, nothing. “Hello? Anyone?” He called out before hearing a sound. It sounded like flapping wings. And then a voice called out from the darkness. “Dante. You must help me!” He recognized the voice and took off in the direction he thought it was coming from. Suddenly there was a light, shining on a single creature on the ground. It was her. Morgana. But something was not right at all. Her wings were bound with chains as she lay on the floor. Papa ran over to her, calling her name. The more the raven struggled, the tighter the chains got. “Dante.” She gasped out in pain from the chains. “Help. Only you can. P-please you must!” Papa was confused and scared, but as he reached out to try and yank the chains off her, the light went out and the darkness swallowed her. “Morgana!” He yelled, reaching out but felt nothing. _

“Morgana!” Papa shouted, sitting up quickly in his bed. He looked around in a panic, breathing heavily. His wide, frightened eyes landed on her perched on the nightstand, and he instantly let out a sigh of relief.   
“Are you oka—“ She did not have a chance to finish her question as Dante quickly grabbed her and pulled her to his chest, hugging her. She was very confused, but knew he must have needed some sort of comfort, especially when she felt him start to shake. The raven turned her head and saw some tears on his face and her heart broke. Whatever he saw in his dream must have really been upsetting.   
“Dante?” He pulled back and looked at her. “I’m sorry. That was a rather unsettling dream...” He sighed, petting her head before placing her down on the pillow beside him. He wiped his face of the tears, turning to her.   
“What were you doing on the nightstand?” He spoke very quietly as he turned and glanced at the clock. It was only 6:30am. Shaking his head, he looked back at Morgana.   
“I woke up early and was sitting in the window when I heard you groaning. So I came here to check on you. You looked like you were having a nightmare, and…with how you reacted, was I…in it? I mean you did call my name. If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s okay.” She spoke just as softly to him, closing her eyes as he reached over and pet her head. She was starting to grow fond of head pets. Papa sighed, running his other hand through his hair.   
“Yes. I don’t really understand it. It was dark, and you called out for help. I followed your voice and found you, your wings bound in chains that tightened the more you moved. You were in pain, calling for help. That only I could help you. But then the darkness swallowed you.” He ran his hands over his face, trying to understand the dream. Why was he suddenly having these dreams with her? Both started the same; with darkness. He did not understand, but something told him they meant  _ something _ . He would have to ask his brother about them.   
“That…does sound rather unpleasant. I am sorry you had this nightmare. It was just a dream. I am okay.” She was not sure how to respond to that. “ _ What an odd thing to dream about. But he seems to be shaken up about it. But why was it me? _ ” She hated that she could not give him a comforting hug like she desperately wanted to at this moment. He turned to look at Morgana.   
“I promised you a grand tour, did I not? How about an early breakfast and then I show you around?” He flashed her a smile, getting out of bed and stretching. He wanted to do anything to take his mind off the dream. He went over to his wardrobe and pulled out some clothes, turning back to look at Morgana, still sitting on his pillow.   
“Let me just take a quick shower, then we can head to the cafeteria for breakfast.” Morgana watched him head to the bathroom and when she heard the door close, she flew back out to the living room, starting to get excited. She couldn’t wait to see the rest of his beautiful place.

Papa entered the living room feeling better from the shower, and saw Morgana sitting on the back of the couch, restless, making him chuckle lightly.   
“Excited much?” She turned around and looked at him, flapping her wings. “ _ I so cannot wait to have facial expressions again. _ ”   
“Yes! I am very excited to see the rest of the church. What little I have seen so far, it’s magnificent. I cannot believe you live here.” She would have been grinning like crazy and eyes lit up. Dante gave her a soft smile as he spoke, “It could be your home as well,  _ uccelino _ . Raven or human.” Morgana thought about it for a few moments before flying over to land on his shoulder. She rubbed her little head against his. “My home? Thank you, Dante. I think I can see myself staying here.” His smile grew at that statement. “Good. Now, let’s go get some breakfast, yes? Then a tour. After that, I need to go speak with my  _ fratello _ . Brother. While I do that, you can fly around and explore on your own if you wish.” He spoke as he walked out of his room and towards the cafeteria. Dante continued to speak to her, even as they passed people. They would just think he is talking randomly to a bird. People were already starting to talk about his new ‘pet’, and as they continued their walk, they both could hear hushed whispers.   
“I quite dislike all these hushed whispers.” Morgana whispered to him, and he nodded his head in agreement. “Same. But not much I can do. There will always be gossip and a rumor mill, no matter what. We will just have to ignore it.” Morgana sighed, knowing he was correct.

When they finally reached the cafeteria, they saw Copia sitting by himself, eating his breakfast and reading a book. “Mind if we join him?” Papa asked her as he grabbed a plate for him and a plate for her.   
“Not at all. I liked him and your brother. Well, one of them. The other one…not so much. Sorry.” That caused Dante to laugh. “No offence taken. He can be rather difficult.“ The Third loaded his plate with eggs, toast and bacon before putting some fruit, crackers and trail mix on her plate. He walked over to where Copia was sitting and as he went to sit down, Morgana flew off his shoulder and landed on the table, startling Copia. “O-oh! Good morning Papa, Morgana.” He smiled at them, taking a sip of his coffee. Papa set Morgana’s plate down and she happily started to eat some of the fruit. “Good morning Copia. I hope you are doing well?” She looked up from her meal. Papa added a ‘good morning’ as he started to eat his own breakfast.   
“I am doing well, thank you. And how are you two? Actually, I am glad you are here. Is there anything you remember from when you were turned into a raven? Anything that might help point in the right direction of where to look for a counter spell?” He looked hopeful, otherwise he had almost nothing to go on, and it would take him and Papa the First a while to scour all the books.   
“Well enough, thanks. Probably could have slept longer, to be honest. Morgana was up before I was.” She nodded along, eating another piece of fruit before looking at Copia.   
“I don’t…I am sorry. All I can remember is my name, that I know magic, I am from England and that the energy here feels familiar, some spells feel familiar. Oh wait. I did remember something yesterday. Or well, I think it could be a memory. I didn’t wish to join back that. So… I must have gotten approached by someone? I am not too sure. I am sorry, that’s all I can remember right now.” Copia looked a little sad that was all she had, but it was not her fault. “That’s okay. At least you remember something. We will still do what we can to try and help.” He smiled before finishing his coffee. “If you excuse me, I have some paperwork to do before heading to the library. Have a good day you two.” And with that, Copia got up and headed out of the cafeteria. Morgana finished her breakfast shortly after and turned to look around the cafeteria. It was a decent size with plenty of tables, as well as a buffet that the kitchen staff stock for breakfast, lunch and dinner. There were also various machines that liquid came out of.   
“What are those?” Dante looked in the direction she was looking and saw the machines she must have been talking about. “Oh, those are a coffee machine, an espresso machine and the big one dispenses soda.” Morgana watched someone use the soda vending machine in amazement. They put something in, pushed a button and a beverage came out the bottom.   
“What is soda?” This was not the first time she had heard the word, but she still had no idea what it was. Papa looked at her for a moment, then over to the machine. He got up abruptly, causing her to jump, before talking over to it. He reached into his pocket for his card, put it in the machine and pushed the button for an orange soda. Once he retrieved the soda from the dispenser, he walked back over to Morgana, who had kept her eyes on him the whole time.   
“This is an orange soda.” He said, sitting back down again and opening the can. Morgana looked at the can in amazement. She had seen many of them on the ground. And then she heard it, a fizz noise from inside the can. Curiously, she hopped closer to look.   
“Soda is a carbonated, sugary beverage that comes in many flavors. Here, I don’t think a little sip will hurt you.” He motioned her closer as he tilted the can so she could get her beak in the hole to taste the beverage. Morgana coughed, shaking her head.   
“Ugh…no thank you! Too sweet! Bleh! That does not taste like an orange.” She hopped away from the offending can of soda. Papa laughed, taking a sip. He didn’t mind it once in a while, but he was definitely not much of a soda drinker.   
“It’s okay. Not my favorite. But anyway, are you finished? Shall we start with the tour?” He stood up and Morgana flew up and landed on his shoulder again. Papa disposed of their garbage in the trash on his way out.

The tour was fantastic. The more she saw of the beautiful church, the more she loved it. The first place they went to was the library. Morgana could not believe her eyes when she saw the scale of the library. It was massive and filled with so many books, and not just dusty old tomes. There was a section of the library devoted to past time reading. It had fiction, non-fiction, mystery, sci-fi, fantasy. You name it, it was there. They even had a children’s section for any kids or ghoul kits that resided in the church.   
“With luck, the answer to how to turn you back to your human self will be here, somewhere hidden in a book.” Some siblings of sin looked at him oddly, wondering why he was there, talking to a raven. Dante ignored them all.

The next place he showed her was the gardens and the greenhouse. There were so many beautiful flowers, but also, it seems they grew their own vegetables here. Morgana respected that, as she knew you could just buy them from a vendor.   
“We even have a herb garden for cooking and medicinal herbs. I am sure you are very familiar with them.” Papa commented as he walked them through the greenhouse. Morgana thought for a moment as she looked around, “ _ I feel like I would know about herbs. I don’t right now, but there is that feeling that I have the knowledge locked in my mind someplace. Good to know they have herbs. _ ” Morgana also thought she would probably spend a lot of time in the gardens, she even spotted a tree that she might use to perch in and watch all the ghouls and siblings.   
“It is beautiful, Dante. Your people take good care of the garden.” Papa looked at her as they headed back inside. “The earth ghouls do wonders. They are the main caretakers of the gardens. My _ fratello _ oversees a lot of the garden work. He always did love plants a lot.” Morgana hummed in acknowledgement as she looked around, wondering where they would go next.

They stopped at a set of doors. “Through here is the infirmary. We use a mixture of spells, potions, herbs and modern medicine. You said you thought you used healing spells? I am sure your talents could be of use here, if you wanted to, of course.There are various things a witch could do around here.” Smiling at her as he opened the door, giving her a small tour of the infirmary. It was pretty standard; rooms for patients, medical equipment, various medical staff consisting of humans and ghouls. Ghoul medical staff surprised her, but then again, they may be the ones best suited to take care of an injured ghoul. The infirmary is also where the daycare and nursery were located.    
“Not just adults live here. This section is a daycare for various ghoul kits and human children that are born here. While their parents are off doing their duties, the children play here.” He looked through the window, watching them for a moment. Some of the kids and kits noticed and waved to Papa, making him chuckle and wave back. Morgana thought it was precious, and found ghoul kits to be adorable.    
“I thought ghouls were summoned? Is that not what you told me on the bus?” She was confused why the kits would be here if they were summoned. Dante turned away from the window and started to head towards their next destination. “Ah, not all are summoned. Ghouls can mate here on the surface and thus produce offspring.The offspring then grow up here.” That was a good enough answer for her, and she went back to looking around as he walked.

Morgana soon found herself in the chapel. It had beautiful stained glass windows on three of the walls, depicting various things. Off to the side was the confession booth and near the altar was a statue of Lucifer made out of black marble.   
“Wow. This is beautiful. Very grand…well the whole church is grand.” She chuckled, flying off his shoulder to sit on the altar to get a look around. Papa smiled at her.   
“It is, isn’t it? I am rather fond of the craftsmanship of the windows. They are very old. But if you haven’t guessed already, this is the chapel and confession booth. We hold many rituals here. You are free to sit in on one of the black masses if you’d like. Even if I am the current leader, my brothers still sometimes lead the mass, especially if I am away on tour.” He walked over to where she was perched, and held out his arm. “I think I might. I am rather curious.” She spoke as she hopped up onto his arm and then to his shoulder.

Next, Papa showed her where various rooms were. This included the dorm sections of the church: male, female and ghoul. He also showed her the upper clergy area, where his own room was situated. The doors had nameplates, but he still pointed them out to her.   
“This is Copia’s, if you ever need him for something, although I am not sure how much he is there. Damn workaholic. The one over there is my older brother’s room. And the one down the hall is my eldest brother’s room.” He walked down another hall before stopping in front of a large archway the overlooked the gardens.   
“This is one of my favorite spots. It offered a really great view of the night sky.” Morgana looked out and nodded. “Yes, I can see how it would. The view is beautiful. I will have to wait til it is night to come look.” He smiled, continuing on with the last of the tour.   
“And over here are various people’s offices. Again, each have a nameplate. And with that, I think the tour is done. Or at least the main parts. You are free to fly about and explore yourself.” He walked back and stopped at the archway again, petting her head.   
“I must go speak with my  _ fratello _ . The window to my room is open enough so that you can return there if you wish. I shouldn’t be too long, or so I hope. I will come looking for you, around lunch time? We can bring lunch back to my room if you’d like. Maybe watch a movie?” He had the next few days off from having to do any work to recover from touring. Morgana tilted her head, looking at him.   
“A movie? I do not think I have ever seen one before, so I would enjoy that very much! And yes, I will try and return to either your room or this archway by lunchtime.” With a nod, Dante gently placed her on to the railing. “I will see you in a little while then. Enjoy your exploration.” He grinned and blew her a kiss before walking off to find Papa the First. She stared at him as he walked off, dumbfounded. “ _ He just…blew me a kiss? Oh my. Why do feel a little flushed _ ?” With a shake of her head, Morgana decided to just fly off and explore, the kiss blowing still on her mind.

Dante found his eldest brother in his office. Once he was inside and sitting on the older man’s couch, he sighed and held his head in his hands.   
“ _ Fratello _ …what is it? I am assuming this has to do with our new feathered friend?” The First set his tea down and looked at his brother. “I do apologize, I have not started researching just yet.” Dante shook his head, dropping his hands and turning to look at his older brother.   
“No, that is alright. We have time, I think. Anyway---I need to talk to you. Get your opinion maybe.” The First nodded his head, waiting for the Third to continue.   
“Well…on the car ride back from the airport, I fell asleep. Normal after a long flight. But I had this weird dream.” Papa explained the dream he had in the car; the darkness, following the light which lead to his room, and Morgana. He focused on that aspect the most. “I don’t know if that was her or my mind making her appearance up? She was beautiful,  _ fratello _ . But it was odd, she called me Dante, but didn’t learn my name till after you guys left my office. Was that my brain making things up? I would just ignore this dream, but then…I had another one last night. But this time, she was a raven. It started the same, in darkness. But then she was there, as a raven and calling out for help as she was bound in chains, which were hurting her. I did not know what to do, even as she said that I was the only one who could help her, and that I must do so. Then the darkness swallowed her, and I awoke, screaming her name.” Papa paused, frowning as he remembered the dream. The feeling of dread in his gut was terrible. The First looked at his brother in thought, trying to decipher what he was told. It seemed a little more than just a dream.   
“I wonder…maybe these are a vision of sorts? Although determining the meaning might take some time. Her asking for help makes sense, as that is what we are trying to do. But ‘Only you can’? That part baffles me. Please, let me know if you have any more of these dreams or visions or whatever they are. They could be connected somehow to how we reverse whatever spell was put on her.” Dante crossed his arms, looking away. “But how can it be connected? I don’t understand. How can I know what she looks like?” His brother sighed.   
“I do not know. But I am sure in time we will figure it out. With you, the Cardinal and myself, I am sure we can find a way to make her human again.” He got up and walked over, patting his brother on the shoulder, giving him a knowing look. “You like her, even without knowing what she looks like. Maybe that is why you are seeing these things in your dreams.” Papa the Third felt his face heat up.   
“What? No I don’t…I just want to help her.” Was his weak retort that the First was not having any of. “You do and I can tell, so stop lying. We will get her back to being human so you can tell her. Tomorrow Copia and I are meeting in the library.” With that, he went to sit back down, picking up his tea and sipping it. The Third felt his face grow hotter, being called out for lying. “ _ I’m not lying…am I? I do like her…but does it go further than that? I feel like I must do everything in my power to help her. That feeling is very strong. She was beautiful in that dream, if that was even her. But it goes beyond that. It is her personality. Just her in general. I feel sort of connected to her somehow. Fuck…he is right. I do like her… _ ” Dante stood up, trying to push those thoughts from his head for now. He wouldn’t say anything to her, not while she was still trapped.   
“Thank you,  _ fratello _ . I will tell you if I have any more dreams. I must be going now, it is just about lunch time.” And this that, Danted headed out the door, going to look for his favorite raven.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! It means a lot!
> 
> Any comments and or kudos is appreciated!


	6. Movie night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morgana watches a movie for the first time and they try some spells.
> 
> Hi! Thank you guys so much. I hope you enjoy this chapter. It was a fun one to write.

Morgana had spent the past few hours flying around and exploring. She got some looks from people, but really didn’t care.  
“I should get him something. Like what…” muttering, she looked around the garden she was in. She spotted a ghoul taking care of some flower bushes and got an idea. Morgana swooped down and landed next to the ghoul. She figured of Dante’s ghouls could understand her, maybe this one could. She did notice it wore a different mask and wondered what that was about.  
“Hello there. I was wondering if I might be able to take a rose from this lovely bush as a gift for someone?” The ghoul jumped and dropped their clippers, staring down at her with wide eyes.  
“_Seems like all ghouls can hear me. Okay, good to know. _ ” The tall ghoul regained their composure and kneeled down, looking at Morgana with wonderment.  
“You are a strange bird being able to talk. What is your name, little bird? My name is Mountain. And yes, you may have a rose. Here.” He stood back up, grabbing his clippers and proceeded to cut off one of the rose flowers for her, leaving enough stem for a vase. Mountain kneeled again and placed it gently on the ground in front of her.  
“Thank you Mountain. My name is Morgana. And well, I am not normally a raven. I am currently trapped. But Papa the First, Third and Cardinal Copia are helping me out, to try and get back to normal.” She looked down at the flower and nodded; it was beautiful. “ _ Dante is sure to like this! _ ”  
“Also…If it is not rude, may I ask why your mask is different from Omega and Alpha’s and the others who perform with Emeritus the Third?” Morgana looked back up at the tall ghoul, who nodded, humming a little. “Cardinal Copia is a smart man. So is Papa the First. I am sure they can help you. As for my mask, I am of a different era so to say, than the ghouls with Papa the Third. Each era gets different masks and outfits.” Mountain stood back up and brushed his knees off. Morgana looked at the rose before back to Mountain.  
“I see. Thank you very much for explaining. I will let you get back to pruning the roses. They are beautiful by the way.” Mountain smiled at her, his eyes lighting up. “Thank you. I planted these myself. Gardening helps me relax. Have a good rest of your day, Morgana.” He went back to his business and Morgana picked up the rose and took flight, heading towards Dante’s room.

The Third was still looking for Morgana. He had checked all over the church, the greenhouse, the gardens, but did not see her. He saw a ghoul by some bushes and decided to see if he saw a raven flying around.  
“Hey, ghoul. Have you seen a raven flying around out here?” Mountain looked up, seeing Papa the Third standing there looking at him. “Hello Papa. Yes, Morgana? We had a small chat before she flew off back towards the church.” He did not mention the rose, but figured it must be for the Third as that’s whose room she took off towards. Papa sighed and nodded. “Thanks.” He spoke quietly as he headed back towards the church. “Maybe she went back to my room? I’ll check there again.” Mountain just shrugged and went back to work.

Swooping into the room, Morgana noticed that Papa was not there. “Good! Now to place this where he will see it…Or maybe I should just present it to him? Yes, that works.” She settled down on the back of the couch, looking at the door and waited, feeling excited. Shortly she heard the key in the lock and saw the door open, revealing the man she was waiting for. Once Dante’s eyes landed on her, he smiled.  
“_Uccelino _ ! I have been looking all over for you! You are a hard bird to find,” He chuckled as he walked over to her, petting her head. “What’s this?” He pointed to the rose. Morgana cleared her throat, picking it up and nudging it towards him.  
“A gift for you. A small thank you I suppose.” Papa took the rose and smelled it. It was very thoughtful of her to get him a gift. He locked eyes with her and smiled.  
“Thank you, Morgana. The rose is beautiful. Let’s see if I have a vase around here.” He walked off and she just stared at him. It kept surprising her when he used her name instead of the nickname he had given her. She loved the way he said it. Papa soon found a vase under the sink and filled it with water before placing the rose on his desk. “There!” He spoke happily, turning around and giving her a big ol’ grin. “I think this is a good spot for it. Anyone who comes in here will see it. But now, shall we go get some lunch?” Morgana looked at the desk and wished she could smile. Turning her gaze back to Papa, she nodded. “Yes, lunch sounds wonderful.” She took flight and landed on his shoulder, and nuzzled her little head against his cheek, prompting another smile to grace his face.

Once again, in the cafeteria, they walked over to the buffet. But this time, Papa grabbed two to-go containers since they would be returning to his room. Dante loaded his with French fries, a pulled pork sandwich and a few pickles. The other container he filled with some veggies, mixed nuts and fruit. Looking at the containers, he could not help but laugh.  
“You are eating much healthier than I am.” He turned his head and grinned at her before closing the containers and heading for the door.  
“So, since you have never seen a movie before, we will have to try and choose one you will like.” Morgana hummed. “Well, I have no experience here. So I guess whatever you choose is fine with me.” With a nod, Papa kept walking towards his room, thinking about what kind of movie to watch.

Once back in his room and Morgana nicely nestled on some pillows, the Third went over to browse his DVD collection. He picked up one that he hadn’t seen in a while, and wondered if Morgana would like it. Deciding to take a chance, he walked over to the DVD player and put the movie in and turning the TV on, all the while Morgana watching, curiously. She had no idea what he was doing, but suddenly there was moving things on the screen. She saw similar stuff on big screens while she was in New York, but it still amazed her. Dante sat on the couch close to Morgana and opened her lunch container, placing it within reach before opening his own and munching on a french fry. The movie was ‘_ The Princess Bride _ ’. A simple romantic comedy that he figured would be a safe choice for her first film.  
“I hope you like it. I have not seen this one in a while. It’s pretty good.” He picked up his sandwich and took a big bite. Morgana was so enthralled by what was happening on the screen, she was forgetting her food was next to her. After about ten minutes, Papa finished his food and noticed she had not eaten.  
“_Uccelino _ , are you not hungry?” Morgana turned from the TV and looked at Dante before looking at her food. “Oh…right, sorry! I am so curious about this movie. How do they get moving pictures of these people?” She picked at her lunch, eating some of the veggies. Dante laughed.  
“It isn’t really moving pictures per say. The film the actors with camera. Record what they are doing. Then put that film onto a DVD that we can watch back here.” It was a basic explanation, but he hoped it would work for now. “A lot of technology has changed since you were last a human. I imagine you saw that though, in New York?” Morgana nodded, turning her head back to the film.  
“Yeah, but it is a little different when it is right here. I tried to avoid the part of the city where all the lights and stuff were anyway.” The Third Emeritus hummed, turning his eyes back to the screen and stretching out on the couch, wishing he could wrap his arms around her shoulders. “ _ Soon. I hope _.”

Morgana happily sat and watched the movie, asking questions here and there. About half way through the film, Papa looked over and smiled at how much she seemed to be enjoying herself.  
“C’mere.” He spoke quietly, reaching over and picking up the pillow she was sitting on, causing her to become startled and flap her wings. Before she could say anything, she found herself sitting on his lap, still on the pillow, and his hand petting her back. Morgana looked up at him, confused.  
“What was that for, Dante?” She spoke quietly, turning her head back around to see the TV.  
“No reason. Just felt like having you close.” He glanced at her before back to the TV. Morgana actually didn’t mind at all. She enjoyed being close to the third Emeritus brother. A lot. “ _ He smells good. No, focus on the movie. _ ” She settled back down on the pillow, getting comfortable. The rest of the movie went well, and when the credits ran, Papa picked up the pillow again to move it so he could stand and stretch. “Well? How did you like it?” He turned around and watched her as she turned away from the TV, stood up and flapped her wings.  
“I liked it. It was very interesting! Are all movies like this? I can see why they are a popular thing!” Morgana excitedly spoke and Dante laughed. “No, _ uccelino _ . There are many different types of movies. Some funny, some romantic, some sad. Others are scary, some cute. And even animated ones.” He explained as he walked over to his little kitchenette to get a glass of water. Returning to the couch, he held it out to her in case she wished to have any. Morgana decided she was a bit parched and drank some of the water. Back when she first turned, it took her quite a while to figure drinking out. A lot of coughing. When she was done, she stepped back and Papa drank the rest of the water.  
“Thank you, Dante. Also, really? That is quite a lot. But why would you wish to watch a scary one? Sounds very unappealing.” She paused for a moment, tilting her head. “What is ‘animated’?” Papa reached out and pet her head.  
“Some people like to watch horror movies. I do occasionally. Maybe the thrill of watching it? Some like them, some don’t and that is okay. As for animated…it is like a cartoon.” By her confused blink, he quickly continued, “Like…hand drawn and put onto film. Some animated movies are done with a computer, called CGI. You are not understanding any of this.” Morgana shook her head. Dante reached over and grabbed his phone and tapped on it a few times before scooting closer to Morgana. He held his phone out so she could watch what the video pulled up. “This is a hand drawn animation.” He tapped the screen again and the video started to play a scene from an early Disney movie. Morgana gasped and stared at the screen. She saw many people using similar devices over the years in the park, but never got to see one in action up close. She was amazed by his phone but also the video clip. All she could get out was a quiet ‘wow’. The Third chuckled at her reaction. When that video was done, he typed in something else and opened another clip. “And this, this is animated CGI.” Once again, he held the phone out for her to see. Morgana was amazed at what she saw. It was amazing. “I have never seen anything…quite like that before.” She looked up at him when the clip was done. “I am not surprised really. Nothing like this existed back when you were human.” She shook her head and nudged his hand with her beak. “May I see more of this device? What do you call it?” He looked down at his hand, “Oh this is a cell phone. A mobile telephone. You can do lots of things on them. Like watch videos, play games, text, make phone calls.” He opened up a matching jewel game to show her. “See, here you have to match all the same items like so…and they disappear but you get points. And when you finish the level you move onto the next.” Morgana was absolutely dumbfounded and could not wrap her mind around it. She hopped closer and settled in next to him, watching the phone screen with interest. Papa smiled softly at her and continued to play the game for her to watch, as his other arm rested around her, holding her close.

The next few days passed quickly for Morgana. She spent quite a bit of time exploring the church and found she really liked the view from the bell tower. Dante also had not had another dream in quite a few days, which he was rather thankful for. He found them to be very unnerving since he had no idea what they meant, of it they even meant anything at all. His eldest brother and Copia were still trying to research what spell could have caused this and a reverse spell to get Morgana back to her human form. Morgana was off exploring while he just relaxed in his room, answering texts from Copia every now and then. The man was quiet but he sure texted a lot. They were finding different spells that they wanted to test on her later. After a while Morgana returned to find him sleeping on the sofa. He hopped closer and looked at him. He looked so adorable and peaceful just curled up sleeping. Morgana gently hopped onto the arm of the sofa near his head and pushed some of his hair out of his face with her beak. She really wished she was human at this moment, as she wanted nothing more than to run her fingers through his silky hair. Deciding to let him sleep, she flew over to one of the chairs and hunkered down for a nap of her own.

Dante woke up about an hour later and almost rolled off the couch, forgetting where he was. He sat up and stretched, wondering where Morgana had gone off too. He got up and walked to the bathroom, not noticing her on the chair. When he returned, Papa headed towards his kitchenette to look for a snack but paused. There was a woman on one of the chairs, sleeping. Papa stared at her, wondering how this person got into his room. He did notice she was beautiful but he shook his head. The woman was wearing a black ruffled blouse and a black ruffled skirt. Before he said anything to wake them, he noticed something familiar; her necklace. It was Morgana’s. It then dawned on him, this was the same woman from his first dream vision he had in the car coming back from the airport. Dante’s eyes grow wide as he took a step closer. _ “Is she real? Am I dreaming this? Is this…really Morgana? Satan take me, she is so beautiful.” _ He went to touch her shoulder but when he blinked again, she was no longer there, replaced by a raven. Dante took a deep breath and stepped back, staring at the sleeping raven. “ _ What just happened? Was that real? Am I going crazy?” _ He quickly kneeled down and shook Morgana awake. “Hey. _ Uccelino _ , wake up.” He spoke softly, his eyes wide. Morgana opened her eyes, to see the face of a very confused Dante. “Hey. Sorry, you were sound asleep. I didn’t want to bother you.” She yawned as she stretched her wings. The Third shook his head.  
“No, it is okay. But…you were just human.” He whispered, causing her to freeze and stare at him. “What? Dante, what are you talking about?” She wondered if he was ill and had a fever, making him see things.  
“I came out from the bathroom and there you were. A human, sleeping on this chair. I knew it was you because of the necklace. You looked just like the dream I had in the car on our way back from the airport. But then when I got closer and blinked, you were a raven.” He pet her head, not taking his eyes off her. “This…this cannot be a coincidence. Something is happening.” She looked at him, and could tell he was worried. Something odd was definitely happening. “Okay…this is very bizarre. Maybe you should talk to your brother? Maybe even Copia?” She paused as she thought of what this could be.  
“Maybe, it is a clue on how to turn me back into a human?” Thinking about it, Papa nodded. “Yes, you are right. I should go speak with them. This has to be related somehow. Better yet, I will call them. Have them both come here.” Dante stood up and walked to his bedroom, calling Copia. Morgana heard hushed talking on the phone before he returned to the living room. “Copia and my brother will be here shortly with some books. They are going to try a few spells, to see if it does anything.” He kneels back down in front of the chair and pets her head. “Is that okay with you?” He asked softly, looking at her. As much as he wanted to get her back to normal, he wouldn’t allow them to test spells on her without her being okay with it. Morgana nodded, appreciating him asking her. “Yes, that is fine. I want to change back so much.” She nuzzled her head into his hand. He smiled sadly at her.  
“I know. We will do everything we can to help you. I just wish you didn’t have amnesia. I know the answer is locked away up here.” He poked her head before standing up. “But that is not your fault, nor can we change the situation at hand. We will just have to do our best.” The Third walked over to the kitchenette, looking through his cabinets for a snack. “Would you like something to eat?” Morgana nodded, even though he couldn’t see it. “Yes, please. Do you have any fruit?” She was craving fruit at the moment and hoped he had some. He looked over at her before going to his mini fridge.  
“I am prepared for that question, _ cara mia _ .” He pulled out a mixed fruit tray, turning and grinning at her. “I made sure to stock up on foods you could eat. Plus, I should eat this than the popcorn I was thinking about.” With a chuckle, he put the tray on the coffee table and sat down on the floor. “Come, join me.” Morgana flew off the chair and landed on the coffee table with ease before taking a piece of melon and eating it.  
“I made sure the kitchen staff cut them up small, so you could eat it easily.” He commented, taking a strawberry and popping it in his mouth. Morgana looked up at him and would hoped her smile carried over into her words. “Thank you Dante, that was a very sweet thing to do.” She took a strawberry as well and ate it. The fruit was delicious. He grinned at her, happy that she was enjoying herself. “Anything for you, _ cara mia _.”

There was a knock on the door, causing the two of them to look over. Dante got up and walked over and opened it, revealing Copia and The First. Both men were carrying various books.  
“Ah! Good, good, come in. We were just enjoying some fruit, if you two wanted any.” The Third held the door open for the other two men, allowing them to enter.  
“Good afternoon, Morgana.” The First said with a smile as he set his books down on a nearby table. She looked over and nodded her head. “Good afternoon. I hope you two are well?” She also nodded to Copia, who smiled at her. “Well enough. The two of us have basically lived in the library the past few days.” That made Morgana feel terrible. “Oh, I am sorry. Please, take a rest.” As much as she wanted them to find a cure, she did not wish them to over work themselves so much. The First shook his head.  
“It is fine, lamb. We want to help you return to normal.” He looked over to his brother, knowing full well how much the man felt about her, despite him denying it. He wanted to help his brother, but also, he felt so terrible for Morgana being trapped like this. If they could help, he was determined to find the answer, as he figured Copia was as well. Copia took his what Morgana called ‘funny little hat’ off and leafed through the books, opening them up to various pages.  
“We found some spells that reference transformations and some that reference animals. I am not sure if it will work, b-but we can try?” He walked over and took a piece of watermelon. Dante nodded and walked over, looking at the books. “If we are lucky, it is one of these. If not…” He sighed, turning around and watching Morgana eat a piece of pineapple. She looked up at him and tilted her head, wishing she could try and reassure him. But deep down, she was nervous they would never find the answer. “We can but try and hope for the best, _ fratello _ .” His older brother pat his shoulder, joining him by the books. “There are 5 in total here. Do you mind if we move some furniture out of the way?” Morgana was confused why they would need to move furniture. The Third nodded, going over with Copia and moving his couch and chair out of the way. They then picked up the table she was on, causing her to flap her wings wildly. The two men chuckled as they put the table down. Papa the First went over to the open area and drew a circle on the floor.  
“Step into this circle if you would, Morgana.” She looked at them all before hopping from the table to the circle. “Is now and okay time to say I am scared?” She really wanted this to work, but what if it made things worse? Morgana tried not to think of anything bad. Dante kneeled down on the floor next to her. “Don’t worry, _ uccelino _. We are all here and will make sure nothing happens.” He tried to reassure her, but he knew there were risks. Standing back up, he walked over to his brother. “Shall we start?” The eldest brother nodded. He picked up the book and walked over to her, reading the text. When he was done, they all looked at her to see if anything happened. Morgana looked around and sighed. “It was hopeful thinking the first one would work.”

They tried the rest of the spells that they found, but none of them worked. Morgana was still a raven. Everyone looked disappointed that nothing happened. Morgana wanted to cry in frustration. _ “Why does nothing work? What sort of spell am I under? I just want to be normal again!” _  
“I am sorry. We w-will continue to look for a way to reverse this.” Copia spoke to her, going over and cleaning up the circle on the ground. The First looked troubled as he closed the books and Dante walked over to his liquor cabinet, wanting a glass of wine. He was feeling frustrated but could only imagine how terrible Morgana must be feeling. Turning around, he was about to offer everyone a glass when he stopped, eyes wide and almost dropping the glass on the floor. There she was, sitting on the floor, human. _ “Was this another damn vision?! _ ” He looked at Copia and his brother both of whom were looking at him, confused and concerned.  
“Dante? Are you well? Is something wrong?” This caused Morgana to turn her head and look at him. Dante looked at her, noticing her emerald green eyes. And the necklace. Morgana looked at him, confused. “Dante?” He watched as the woman spoke to him. It was her voice, Morgana’s voice. He looked at his brother, who was growing more concerned.  
“Do you not see her?! She is human! Right there!” He pointed to Morgana, who looked shocked.  
“Fratello …she is still a raven. What are you seeing?” The First asked him, walking over to his brother. Copia looked worried. Dante looked at his brother confused. “What? No, she is a hum-“ He looked back to Morgana, and this time only seeing a raven looking at him.  
“I am going insane. That’s all this can be.” He set his glass down and walked over to his couch and sat down, running his hands over his face. His brother joined him on the couch and put a comforting arm over his shoulders. “This is the second waking vision you had today, is it not?” The Third nodded, causing Copia to frown. Morgana was getting concerned for him, and hopped over to the couch and sat next to him. She really wished she could hug him. “Do you think…this is all connected somehow?” Copia shrugged as he gathered up the books, getting ready to head back to the library. The First looked at her. “I believe it is. He has never had dreams or visions like this before. I am starting to get an idea of where to look for a reversal spell.” He stood up and ruffled his little brother’s hair.  
“Relax Dante. I believe this is a key to solving this mystery. Alert me if you have more visions.” He walked over and helped Copia carry some books. “We will talk later. Get some rest.” Morgana looked over at the door and nodded. “Thank you. Really, I appreciate the effort it took to try and make this work. Please get some rest yourselves.” Copia smiled at her, nodding his head before leaving, the First following him.

Once they were gone, Papa sighed and looked at her. “I am so sorry, _ uccelino _ . I was hoping one of these spells would work. But if my brother is right, then what I am seeing is a clue? I don’t understand it at all.” He got back up and poured himself a glass of wine and sat back down with her. Morgana looked up at him with wide, curious eyes. “Dante, can you tell me what I look like?” Startled, he turned his gaze to her.  
“You…don’t remember what you look like?” When she shook her head, he continued. “Very beautiful long wavy black hair. You also have the greenest eyes I have ever seen. Fair complexion.” He paused, trying to recall what she was wearing. _ “She also had very kissable lips. Can’t think about that now.” _  
“Let’s see, you were also wearing a black blouse with some frills on the front, as well as a black skirt that went to your knees. It was also frilly. You are gorgeous, _ uccelino _ .” He reached out and pet her head. Morgana stared at him in shock, that he called her gorgeous. But she secretly loved that he did. Papa sighed, sipping his wine. “Hopefully soon, you will be able to see yourself in a mirror.” Morgana nodded, wishing she could smile. _ “Damn beak.” _  
“Thank you for telling me. I appreciate it.” She nudged his hand, and he put his arm around her, holding her close.  
“You are welcome, _cara mia_.” He paused, looking around and it finally hit him.

  
“Copia left before helping me put the furniture back! I’ll worry about that later.” Morgana laughed, glad he seemed to be feeling a little better. He smiled down at her, happy to hear her laugh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading my story.
> 
> Any comments and or kudos is appreciated :)


	7. Human

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A random idea from Copia seems to be the key.
> 
> Hey! Last chapter! Sorry it took so long to get out! Thank you everyone who has read my story :)   
Artwork done by the wonderful thunderthatsbreaking! <3

The next two weeks seemed to drag on. Papa the First thought he had an idea of what to look for, but finding it was difficult. Dante was also having visons daily, which was scaring him. Morgana was actually starting to grow concerned for him, especially when he was barely getting any sleep. Most of the visions he had while sleeping, and usually woke up screaming. There was a sense of urgency in the visions and so Papa the Third actually was helping in the library many days, all three men trying to find anything that could help.  
“I believe we are running low on time. With how frequently you are getting these visions, and what is in them, we must find a way to reverse this.” The First said and Copia nodded. Papa sighed. “Yeah, but we still don’t know what.” He pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache coming.   
“I believe I have an idea, _ fratello _ .” The First looked to his younger brother. “I had heard stories before of a spell or curse that only two connected souls can break. I believe this is the case. Your visions of her, your feelings, her feelings. All of it makes sense. But the answer has to be here…someplace.” He sighed and sat down. Dante looked confused. “Her feelings?” His brother looked at him and smiled. “It is obvious she likes you, as it is obvious you like her.” Dante actually felt his face grow red, and Copia just chuckled.   
“If you say so, _ fratello _. I just want her to be human again. She does not deserve such a fate as being trapped like this. Look…I will leave you two to keep looking for now. I am going to go eat something then maybe rest to get rid of this headache.” Copia put his hand on Dante’s shoulder. “Go rest. You haven’t had a good nights sleep in a while. We will keep looking, don’t worry.” The Third nodded and headed out of the library and back to his room.

He had just finished up eating his snack when Morgana flew in through the window and landed on the arm of the sofa.  
“Hey. How are you feeling?” She asked as she tilted her head. _ “He looks so tired. Oh Dante. I wish I could stop these awful visions from plaguing you.” _ Morgana flew up and landed on his shoulder, to nuzzle his face, hoping to be of some comfort. Papa sighed and closed his eyes.   
“Tired and with a headache. Not sleeping well is taking its toll.” He opened his eyes and pulled her from his shoulder and place her next to him.   
“My brother believes we are running out of time to find a way to get you back to human form. I just…I really hope we can figure it out soon. He believes he has a lead, just has to find it.” Morgana sighed at this. “I believe in your brother and Cardinal Copia. They will find it.” She was trying to stay optimistic, if she didn’t she would give into depression at still being trapped like this. Dante nods his head.   
“Yes, I agree. We cannot lose hope.” He spoke as he spoke up and stretched. “I am going to try and take a nap.” He tiredly made his way to his room and promptly collapsed on his bed, passing out. 

Dante woke up a few hours later, feeling slightly better but also a little confused. His dream was all about numbers. He reached over for his phone and sent a text to his brother. “Maybe he will understand it”. He rolled out of his bead and stretched before heading out to the living room. “I am going to grab some food. Want anything?” Morgana shook her head, “No thank you.” Dante nodded. “Alright. Be back soon.” And with that, he headed out to the cafeteria.

The First’s phone went off and he looked at the message for a moment. “Do you understand this?” He handed his phone to Copia. The Cardinal looked at the screen and frowned. “If you are correct in assuming his visions mean something…then this must relate somehow? But it’s just numbers.” He continued to stare at the screen, noticing what time it was. Then it hit him and the Cardinal almost threw the phone. “We are running out of time!” Papa the First gave him a confused look. “What do you mean Copia? I know we do not have forever but—“ He was cut off by Copia showing him the screen. “These numbers, when placed in a different order are a time and date! I can’t see what else this would be.” The First took his phone and analyzed the numbers. His eyes widened. “If this is correct than it is todays date. Copia, we must work faster.” He threw his phone down, going back to the books. Copia followed suit.

A few hours later, and they were running out of time to get Morgana back into her normal body. Everything they tried so fat did not work. The Cardinal and eldest Emeritus were still in the library, trying desperately to find a cure or else they feared Morgana would forever remain a raven.  
“W-we are never going to find it in time!” Copia spoke, looking at his watch. They had one hour. “We must keep trying for Morgana’s sake.” Papa the First said, not taking his eyes off the book he had. Copia sighed returned his attention to the book he had. About forty minutes later, Copia’s eyes widened and he slammed his hand on the table.   
“I t-think this is it!” He looked at Papa the First and passed him the book. “Cursed to forever be in the body of thy spirit animal until love from a member of the church is to be found.” Papa the First read out loud, confused. “She must have been cursed by a witch in the past. I hope her memory returns so she can explain why she had this placed on her. How long until it is too late, Copia?” The first asked. Copia looked at his watched and started to panic. “20 minutes! We m-must hurry!” He said before taking off in the direction of Papa the Third’s room. The First trying to keep up with him.

The Third returned to his room, feeling much better after having eaten. His older brother was in the cafeteria and they had been talking. Before he knew it, almost forty minutes went by.  
“Sorry that took so long. My brother was there, and wished to talk.” He looked at Morgana and chuckled. She looked rather comfortable nestled against the pillows.   
“I’m going to shower, then maybe we can watch a movie?” Morgana looked over at him and nodded. “That sounds great!” She would have smiled at him. Dante nodded before disappearing into the bathroom. Morgana sighed, feeling exhausted. This past month had been a whirlwind. Meeting new people, having spells thrown at her, learning about the church, falling in love. Her eyes flew open at that.   
_ “F-falling in love? What? No that can’t be…” _ She shook her head _ . “Dante is handsome, yes. And charming. He opened the doors here to give me a home. Using all the resources to help me.” _ Morgana turned and looked out the window. _ “Maybe I am falling for him…” _She heard the shower start and a noise coming from the bathroom and turned her head. Had she the ability, she would have smiled. Papa was singing in the shower. She loved when he did that. Closing her eyes, she relaxed again against the pillows, just listening to him. Morgana had once asked him what song it was he sang a lot. He had blushed and grinned, saying ‘Bad Romance by Lady Gaga.’ She had no idea who that was, but she enjoyed when he sang it.

There was soon a bang on the door, startling Morgana. The pounding continued. “Papa! Open the door! Q-quickly!” It was Cardinal Copia. Morgana flew over to the door, unable to open it. “He is in the shower. What is wrong, Copia?” She asked, getting slightly worried. “Morgana, we may know how to reverse this. But we must hurry for time is running out!” The First said and Morgana’s eyes widened. “L-let me get Dante.” Morgana said shakily, flying over to the bathroom door. Fortunately the door was not fully closed so she easily entered the bathroom. She could see him through the glass closing off the shower. His back was to her, and she tried not to get distracted and let her eyes wander.  
“Dante, you need to get the door! Copia and your brother are here. They say they may know how to reverse this but w-we are running out of time!” She flapped her wings frantically. Papa turned around quickly and almost fell. He was shocked she was in the bathroom but even more so by her words. He quickly shut the water off and jumped out to grab a towel. Morgana let out a yelp of surprise and turned around quickly, embarrassed and flying back to the living room. The Third came running out of the bathroom, dripping wet with only a towel around his waist. He ran and opened the door, allowing the two of them to enter.   
“Sorry, you caught me in the---“ He started but was cut off by his brother. “Now is not the time to worry about your state of undress. We may know what caused this, but we don’t know how to reverse it. But we are running out of time. We must think quickly.” Copia looked between Dante and Morgana, then to the book passage.   
“Maybe…I don’t know, like in the fairytails? Kissing the frog turns him into a prince. Maybe kissing a bird turns her back into the human she once was?” The First shrugged, unsure what else to do. “No other ideas…Quickly now, brother, kiss her beak. Let us see if that works.” Papa looked confused and turned to Morgana who tilted her head. “Hurry!” Copia said, looking at his watch. “If not she might be a raven forever based on the visions you have had.” Morgana started to flap her wings, getting nervous and anxious.   
“Do it Dante! I do not want to be a raven forever. This may not even work but we must try!” Emeritus the Third walked over to where she was on the couch, and kneeled on the floor in front of her. He stared at her for a moment, “I really hope this works.”

Dante gently held her and leaned forward, pressing his lips to her beak. He sat back, watching her. Nothing was happening. The silence in the room was deafening. Her heart was breaking. “I’m…going to be stuck like this forever?” She looked at Copia and the First Papa. Even they looked saddened nothing was happening.  
“I…It was just a guess on if that would even work. The book says nothing on how to reverse the curse.” Copia spoke sadly. “Curse?!” Morgana and the Third said at the same time and turned to look at him. The other two nodded. “We believe she was placed under a curse. Look here.” The eldest brother brought the book over to his younger brother and Morgana to read the passage. “I hope your memories return so we can understand why, most likely another witch, cursed you.” Morgana turned her gaze the Dante. He looked so upset.   
“A curse?! Who could have…Why can’t this work?” He whispered, close to tears. He loved her and wanted nothing more than to hold her, as a human. To kiss her. To tell her how he felt.   
“I believe it was fate that brought them together. I wish this book would give us more answers I do not---“ The First’s eyes widened. All eyes were on Morgana as she started to glow.   
“W-what’s happening?!” She looked down at herself and then back up to Dante, “I...I don’t feel so good…” her eyes rolled back and she went limp, falling forward for Papa to catch. He could feel the panic rising. The glow grew brighter and everyone had to shield their eyes from it. Papa the Third felt the weight in his arms get heavier as the glow dissipated. Opening his eyes, he looked down and gasped. It was Morgana. As a human. He stared at her for a moment, not fully believing his eyes. Copia and the First opened their eyes and stared in shock as the Third was holding a woman. Copia quickly grabbed a blanket from the sofa and draped it over her “...Thanks.” Dante whispered, still in shock. Even after transforming, Morgana was still wearing the grucifix pendant he had given her.   
“She needs to rest, _ fratello _ . Let us hope that her memories have returned alongside her body. Let me know if anything changes.” He pat his brother’s shoulder before walking to the door. Copia looked ready to cry from happiness.   
“I am so glad that random idea worked! A fairytail. Go figure.” He said, also heading to the door. “Me too...” Papa said as he wrapped her in the blanket and laid her on the couch. He ran a hand through his damp hair and went back to the bathroom to dry off and put his pajama pants on. Walking back to the living room, he sat in one of the chairs, just watching her, shocked that this was real and not a vision. _ “She is so beautiful.” _ He thought. Dante could not wait for her to wake up. He wanted to see if she regained her memories. He couldn’t help it as he gently ran his fingers through her hair, still having a hard time believing she was a human again. That she was real.

Morgana groaned as she opened her eyes. Her body felt heavy. “W-what happened?” She spoke, voice hoarse. It had been a few hours since she changed back, and Papa had been sleeping in the chair near the couch. Her voice woke him up with a start. He sat up straight and looked at her beautiful green eyes.  
“Your human again, _ uccelino _ .” He whispered, getting up and kneeling next to the couch. Morgana’s eyes widened and she lifted her hands in the air to look at them. Yup, she was seeing two human hands. She flexed her fingers, staring at her hands in amazement. _ “I’m human…again!” _ She wanted to cry. Lifting the blanket, she looked down at herself. She was definitely human again. She looked back to Papa, who was watching her intently.   
“I…I’m normal again!” She cried, throwing her arms around his shoulders and crying. Dante wrapped his arms around her tightly, holding her close. “It’s been…so long…” She clung to him, afraid to let go. “I hope this is not a dream.”   
“It is not a dream, _ cara mia _ . You are really back to your human self. I’m so happy for you!” Without thinking, he kissed her on the lips. Her eyes went wide as he kissed her and she gasped. Once Papa came back to reality, he quickly pulled away. “Oh…Oh I uh, I am so sorry! I shouldn’t have done that. Caught up in the mome----“ He was cut off by Morgana, grabbing his face and pulling him in for another kiss.   
“I love you.” She said, staring into his mismatched eyes. Papa stared at her, surprised. She continued. “Our time together, on the bus and here. I couldn’t help but develop feelings for you. I could never act on them as a raven. But now… I can tell you. I love you Dante.” She was scared he did not feel the same. Papa surprised her when he placed a hand on her cheek, stroking it softly with his thumb.   
“You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear you say that, _ uccelino _ . For I love you too. For once I have fallen for someone before even knowing their looks. It was you, your personality that I fell for. You are also _ so _ beautiful. I love you Morgana.” A few tears escaped his eyes at the confession. Hearing him say her name instead of the pet name he called her caused a few of her own tears to fall. She grabbed him again in a hug.   
“If the invitation to stay here is still open… I want to stay, by your side, here at your church. I may not join it, if that is okay….but…I do not want to leave you. Not now and not ever. I feel connected to you.” Papa nodded his head, feeling quite the same. It was odd, how deep the connection he felt for her was.   
“Yes. Stay. Please never leave. You do not need to join. You can still help out here with any magical skills you have.” He pulled back and smiled at her, pushing some hair behind her ear.   
“I must ask, do…you remember anything?” His hand caressing her cheek. He couldn’t get enough of her. Morgana shook her head. “I mean, I am getting some snippets here and there.” She frowned, looking away from him.   
“I know I am British...and I come from a very small village.” She closed her eyes, wishing her memories would return. “My parents practiced magic. White magic. Healing. I was able to do other magicks.” Morgana held her head, trying to remember.   
“They…they worked with someone…the church maybe? Maybe that’s why this feels familiar. But…I didn’t. They tried to get me to, when I refused again…the curse! That…I think that is where I was cursed. But...” Morgana looked at Papa sadly. “T-that’s all I can recall…” Papa pulled her in for another hug, running his hand through her hair. “It’s okay. It’s more than you knew before, yes? Maybe your other memories will return slowly?” He pulled back and wiped a tear from her cheek. Morgana nodded.   
“Maybe…and thank you. I have only the future to look forward to. Even if they do not fully return...I can just make new memories here, with you.” She smiled at him before looking down. “Do you by chance have any clothes…?” She just remembered she was only covered in a blanket while sitting on his couch. Papa laughed, standing up and nodding. He walked off to get her some pajama bottoms and a tee shirt. Returning, he handed them to her.   
“Go change in the bathroom, _ cara mia _. I will be out here when you are done.” He turned around to allow her to get up and wrap the blanket around herself. As much as he wanted to look, now was not the time. Instead he went over and filled two goblets of his best wine.

Morgana wrapped the blanket around herself and slowly made her way to the bathroom. It was weird to walk as a human again. Once the door shit, she dropped the blanket and looked at herself. “I cannot believe I am normal again…after all this time…” She smiled, so happy that she followed her instincts months ago, and came here with Emeritus the Third. Had she not, she would still be in that tree in Central Park. She put on the clothes he gave her, stopping to briefly smell his shirt. He smelt wonderful. Putting the shirt on, she walked out of the bathroom and back to the couch, only to stumble and start to fall.  
“Ah!” She gasped out, but soon felt two strong arms around her. Papa had seen her stumble and quickly ran to her, catching Morgana before she hit the floor. “Are you alright, _ cara mia _ ?” He stood up, but held her close. Morgana nodded.   
“Yeah…I am just trying to get used to walking again.” She chuckled with a slight blush on her face. Dante smiled and helped her walk back to the couch. “You’ll get better in no time!” He said as he handed her one of the goblets of wine. Before making a toast, his eyes took in her appearance in his clothes. “So beautiful.” He uttered quietly, causing her to blush. “Ah…thank you Dante. You are rather handsome yourself.” Morgana smiled back at him, causing his smile to widen. She went to take her first sip of wine in centuries before he stopped her.   
“A toast, my dear. To becoming human again. And for finding love.” His eyes were so full of love that she couldn’t help a few tears escaping her eyes. Her heart swelling with love for this man. “A toast then! To following my instincts that led me to you.” She took a sip and sighed, happy. It was so good. “I am going to get used to this.” She giggled, referring to eating and drinking again.   
“Don’t forget, I promised you a dinner where you may order anything on the menu. And I will keep that promise, _ cara mia _.” He leaned in and kissed her. He would have plenty of time to take her out to dinner. But for now, he just wanted to cuddle and celebrate her returning to her normal human state.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I know it isn't the best ending but I can always either add more OR even just make a sequel if people wanted.  
I do want to write more things in the future :)
> 
> Any comments and or kudos are appreciated!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading.  
I have to learn how to format things better on here, my apologies if it was a little wonky.


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